At a February 20, 2010 pigeon shoot at the infamous Philadelphia Gun Club, [...] a member of the Club viciously yelled at two female activists saying, “Go fuck yourself you rotten cunt!”

SHARK discovered that the assailant was Richard Shackleton and that he was town attorney for Long Beach Township, NJ. At the April 9th Long Beach Township committee meeting, we confronted him about what he had done.

What he said was shocking: “I’m happy to say that, what I said, I meant every word of it.”

When offered a chance to apologize he said, “Absolutely not.”

At this point, Shackleton had compounded upon his original insult by taking pride in hurting his victims. And again, during a television newscast, he refused to apologize for his vile comments.

Referring to his despicable use of the “c” word, Shackleton said: “I think that’s what she is and I think she deserved it.”

Quite possibly you’ve already heard about Richard Shackleton, a pigeon shooter and solicitor for Long Beach Township, New Jersey, who hurled gendered slurs at two female activists – and then, when confronted by SHARK members at a Long Beach Township committee meeting, refused to apologize for the comments? No? Then keep reading for SHARK’s ongoing reports on the situation, complete with links to recent media coverage and opportunities to take action.

SHARK email alert, 4/18/10: News Coverage of Vile Pigeon Shooter Richard Shackleton

On April 9, SHARK made an unannounced visit to the Long Beach Township Committee meeting, to confront town attorney Richard Shackleton about his vile and hate filled attack against two female activists outside the infamous Philadelphia Gun Club during the February 20, 2010 pigeon shoot. You can watch the video of what happened HERE.

The Press of Atlantic City, the major daily newspaper covering that area, ran a story today about Mr. Shackleton’s obscene behavior. Again Mr. Shackleton admitted to and took complete ownership of his disgusting verbal assault.

This big, tough lawyer, who illegally shoots small defenseless animals catapulted out of boxes, and attacks women from the safety inside of his big SUV, seems to be suddenly quite upset that SHARK took pictures of him while he was pigeon shooting. That means we are doing our job! Claiming that we were “harassing” him when everything we did was legal and peaceful shows what incredible crybabies animal abusers are.

One thing for all of us to celebrate is that after over one hundred thirty years of slaughtering pigeons at the club, our efforts have shut those killing parties down, in spite of all their money and political clout. It shows what a small group of determined individuals can do.

You can go to the newspaper site and leave a comment about what you think about Mr. Shackleton HERE.

Please contact the Mayor and two Commissioners of Long Beach Township and let him know what you think about Mr. Shackleton’s sickening words and request his dismissal as township solicitor.

Mayor Joseph H. Mancini – mancini [at] longbeachtownship.com
Commissioner Bill Knarre – knarre [at] longbeachtownship.com
Commissioner Ralph H. Bayard – rbayard [at] longbeachtownship.com

Please help SHARK continue to shutdown illegal pigeon shoots by donating HERE.

SHARK email alert, 4/20/10: NBC News On Vile Pigeon Shooter

The lead story on last night’s NBC 10 in Philadelphia newscast was about SHARK’s efforts to hold pigeon shooter Richard Shackleton accountable for his horrific verbal assault against two women on February 20th of this year.

This major news story included SHARK’s video footage from the Philadelphia Gun Club’s barbaric pigeon shoots, including birds being shot and killed as well as the terrible tragedy of a wounded pigeon drowning in the Delaware. By his arrogance and cruelty, to both pigeons and to women, Shackleton has shown the true face of a pigeon shooter, – and it is an ugly and degenerate thing.

Watch the NBC story HERE.

You can read the story that was published in the Press of Atlantic City HERE.

Please leave comments on both the NBC and Press of Atlantic City stories, and let Shackleton and his cronies know that what they do violates all sense of common decency. This is your chance to be heard!

SHARK email alert, 4/21/10: Protest against Richard Shackleton This Saturday!

The situation with NJ pigeon shooter Richard Shackleton is heating up to an intense point, and there has been major news coverage of the vile comments he made to two female activists.

Now it’s your chance to get into this fight!

This Saturday, April 24, in Long beach Township NJ, SHARK is going to protest pigeon shooting and the despicable comments made by Richard Shackleton, who works for the town as its solicitor.

The protest will be Saturday April 24, from 12:30PM – 2:00PM in front of the Long Beach Township Municipal Building
6805 Long Beach Blvd, Brant Beach NJ [...]

This is going to be big and receive a great deal of more news coverage, so please join with us!

If you can’t make it, please email the Mayor HERE: mancini [at] longbeachtownship.com

Watch the NBC news story HERE.

SHARK has already gotten press coverage of the protest!

From today’s Press of Atlantic City:

Activists to protest Long Beach Township solicitor over altercation outside pigeon shoot

…Stuart Chaifetz, an investigator with Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, said members of the group are planning to protest in the township and call on public officials to remove Shackleton from his position as township attorney.

“He should be removed because of some of the comments he made in his capacity as the township attorney,” Chaifetz said, referring to the April 9 town meeting.

You can read the entire story and comment HERE.

The Story So Far

At a February 20, 2010 pigeon shoot at the infamous Philadelphia Gun Club in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, Shackleton, a member of the Club, viciously yelled at two female activists saying, “Go f— yourself you rotten c—”

SHARK discovered that the assailant was Richard Shackleton and that he was town attorney for Long Beach Township, NJ. At the April 9th Long Beach Township committee meeting, we confronted him about what he had done.

What he said was shocking: “I’m happy to say that, what I said, I meant every word of it.”

When offered a chance to apologize he said “Absolutely not.”

At this point, Shackleton had compounded upon his original insult by taking pride in hurting his victims. And again, during a television newscast, he refused to apologize for his vile comments.

Referring to his despicable use of the “c” word, Shackleton said:

“I think that’s what she is and I think she deserved it.”

Richard Shackleton needs to know that the public will not condone his vile treatment of women and animals.

A young girl and her mother hold signs in protest of Richard Shackleton. They read: “I love pigeons and all birds” and “Shackleton: Embarressment [sic] to All NJ Attorneys! including me.” Photos courtesy SHARK.
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Three activists line the roadside, two long protest banners in hand. The one on the left reads, “Don’t let your tax dollars support vicious and degrading insults against women: Demand Richard Shackleton be fired for what he did!” The right banner displays a link to PennsylvaniaShame.com, a SHARK website. Photos courtesy SHARK.
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A young girl holds a sign that reads, “No woman ‘deserved’ to be called what he said! Photos courtesy SHARK.
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SHARK email alert, 4/28/10: Massive Media Coverage on Pigeon Shooter Richard Shackleton

The media coverage on pigeon shooter Richard Shackleton had been overwhelming.

What started with a vile, obscene remark from Shackelton. SHARK followed-up by confronting him at a Long Beach Township Committee meeting. It has now spiraled into television and newspaper coverage that has reshaped and expanded the debate over pigeon shooting. People are now getting a look at what kind of person blasts pigeons out of boxes – and it isn’t a pretty picture. See video HERE.

With near-daily articles being published in New Jersey, with more in New York and Pennsylvania, Shackleton’s vile acts and cruel pigeon shooting now have had tri-state exposure.

What’s more, Shackleton’s actions, against women and pigeons, were so horrifying that the Asbury Park Press, a major daily newspaper in New Jersey, published an editorial calling for him to be fired!

Read that HERE.

SHARK held a successful protest last Saturday in Long Beach Township where local residents joined with us in expressing their outrage over what Shackleton has done. Thank you to everyone that attended, and for all those who have written to the Mayor of Long Beach to complain about this disgusting situation.

And this is just the beginning.

News Coverage of the Shackleton Situation

NBC10 in Philadelphia

- NJ Lawyer Won’t Apologize for Calling Women the C-Word

- Protestors Want “C-Word” Attorney Fired

ASBURY PARK PRESS

- Remarks way off target: “Get rid of him. That’s the only acceptable option for the Long Beach Township Commission in addressing the controversy surrounding its municipal attorney, Richard J. Shackleton.”

- Pigeon shoot protests rejected

- Long Beach Township Attorney defies pigeon shoot protests

- Group protests slur against activists

PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY

- Long Beach Township solicitor says animal rights group is harassing him after video of him shooting pigeons

- Activists to protest Long Beach Township solicitor over altercation outside pigeon shoot

- Animal-rights group requests permit to protest Long Beach Township over solicitor’s pigeon shooting

- Long Beach police review rally permit

- Long Beach Township asks solicitor in pigeon-shooting controversy to ‘stay out of the public eye,’ skip meetings

THE SANDPAPER (Local Newspaper for Long Beach Township)

- Animal Rights Activists, Shackleton Trade Shots

The ASSOCIATED PRESS wrote a story which was published in the following media outlets:

Newsday
The Star-Ledger
The Bergen Record
Daily Record
The Burlington County Times
FOX NY
WCBS2
101 WINS radio
WCBS880
NJ101.5

I’d intended to blog about this several weeks ago, before the April 24th protest, but time just got away from me. While it’s heartening to see that the incident has garnered local coverage, the cynic in me can’t help but think that most people wouldn’t care about Richard Shackleton, had he not been caught using “the c-word” on camera – and then defended his use of it weeks later, at a government function, nonetheless! (Then again, far be it from me to underestimate SHARK’s media savvy.)

Similar to SHARK’s Cowboys & Criminals series, Richard Shackleton’s actions illustrate the intersectionality of oppressions: “isms” are not discrete, isolated phenomenon, but rather exist alongside – and are oftentimes intertwined with – other “isms”. Speciesism, for example, oftentimes comes coupled with sexism and misogyny. Perhaps the most potent example of this is the gendered nature of animal agriculture – the very foundation of which rests upon the rape, forced birth and kidnapping of female animals’ bodies and babies.

This isn’t to suggest that, if a person embraces one form of prejudiced delusions, he necessarily embraces them all. There exist plenty of whip-smart feminists who eat “meat,” and more than a few dedicated vegans who will tell you – without a hint of irony – that “meat is for pussies.” However, when one becomes comfortable with the idea of dehumanizing, objectifying, “othering” and otherwise mistreating an entire group of beings, I truly believe that this only invites further bigotry, oppression and violence. Particularly when members of said group(s) represent a threat to one’s own unearned privilege – such as the case with the SHARK activists above.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts shark showing animals respect and kindness new jersey philadelphia pennsylvania Philadelphia Gun Club hunting shooting blood sports pigeons birds pigeon shooting animals and women intersectionality intersections parallel oppressions gender cunt c-word Long Beach Township Richard Shackleton sexism sexist speciesism speciesist misogyny misogynist video news in the news flickr photos

So far, there are 77 images, set to display randomly and rotate every 90 minutes. The majority are work safe, but if you happen to draw a swear word or naughty image, there’s a handy-dandy “Reload Banner” button located in the sidebar, right above the search box. Don’t say I never did anything for ya.

You can find out more about each image, as well as the motivation behind the project, on the Banner Credits page. Not to rehash what I wrote over there, but I was tired of the blog’s old look and name; the old banner image was so plain! I wasn’t keen on the idea of up and moving the site, though, so I figured a face lift was in order. Spiff things up, you know? I didn’t change a whole lot – just the banner, really, and I also simplified the background image so the site wouldn’t look overly cluttered and busy – but I love the result. The new banners, which are primarily comprised of photos and artwork I already enjoyed, are so shiny and pretty! I’ve already cycled through a few clicks of the “Reload” button, just to see what would pop up. Ahem.

Karma, in particular, has an interesting back story. The animal depicted on the banner is a Thylacine – a Tasmanian Tiger. Or rather, it’s a picture of a sculpture of a Thylacine. The sculpture is (was?) part of a traveling exhibit called Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale, which Shane and I saw at the Kansas City Art Institute’s Artspace in December 2006. Cryptozoology is the study of cryptids; a cryptid being an animal thought – but not proven – to exist. You know, like mermaids, Bigfoot, Yeti, etc.

Cryptozoology is more Shane’s kind of thing. (Not that he believes in unicorns; rather, he enjoys myths and legends, and is fascinated by people who do champion the existence of Sasquatch.) But I love animals and museums, so when he suggested that we check out the exhibit, I was totally down with it.

Most of the exhibits were really quite amusing – very X-Files-ish.

For the conspiracy theorists, the door to the Department of Cryptozoology at the Federal Wildlife Commission:

Some sort of ridiculously adorable unicorn-doggy hybrid:

ZOMG, WANT! She’s probably not vegan, though.

A…day-glo monster fish? Honestly, I’ve no idea what he’s supposed to be:

A turkey-monster!:

Or Monsanto’s latest genetic creation; take your pick.

A miniature goat unicorn!:

What is it with unicorn horns, people?

The anatomy of Capelobo, complete with sexy bits:

Conjoined imp skeletons:

Actually, that would look mighty fine hanging in my living room, right next to the gas mask prints I’ve been wanting. Morbid, me?

A very artsy Abominable Snowman, bringing the rodent(s) home for Mrs. Snow(wo)man and little Sally and Abominable Snowman, Jr.:

And, of course, BIGFOOT!, i.e., Harry!

OH NOES! LOOK OUT SHANE, HE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!

Um, sorry. All this silliness carries me away. Yes, I am a nerd. Good times, tho.

All joking aside, there’s one exhibit that didn’t quite fit. Possibly you could call the Thylacine a cryptid in 2009, but once upon a time, they were alive and real. Thylacines existed – until we drove the species to extinction.

Explains Wiki,

The Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (because of its striped back), the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger or simply the Tiger. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its genus, Thylacinus, although several related species have been found in the fossil record dating back to the early Miocene.

The Thylacine became extinct on the Australian mainland thousands of years before European settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island state of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian Devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none proven.

Image via Wiki and is part of the public domain.

Source: Photograph by E.J. Keller, from the Smithsonian Institution archives.

The Thylacine is likely to have become extinct in mainland Australia about 2,000 years ago, and possibly earlier in New Guinea. The extinction is attributed to competition from indigenous humans and invasive dingoes. However, doubts exist over the impact of the dingo since the two species would not have been in direct competition with one another as the dingo hunts primarily during the day, whereas it is thought that the Thylacine hunted mostly at night. [...]

Although the Thylacine had been extinct for around 2,000 years on the Australian mainland by the time the first European settlers arrived, it survived into the 1930s on the island state of Tasmania. At the time of the first settlement, the heaviest distributions were in the northeast, northwest and north-midland regions of the state. They were rarely sighted during this time but slowly began to be credited with numerous attacks on sheep. This led to the establishment of bounty schemes in an attempt to control their numbers. The Van Diemen’s Land Company introduced bounties on the Thylacine from as early as 1830, and between 1888 and 1909 the Tasmanian government paid £1 per head for dead adult Thylacines and ten shillings for pups. In all they paid out 2,184 bounties, but it is thought that many more Thylacines were killed than were claimed for. Its extinction is popularly attributed to these relentless efforts by farmers and bounty hunters. However, it is likely that multiple factors led to its decline and eventual extinction, including competition with wild dogs introduced by European settlers, erosion of its habitat, the concurrent extinction of prey species, and a distemper-like disease that also affected many captive specimens at the time. Whatever the reason, the animal had become extremely rare in the wild by the late 1920s. Despite the fact that the Thylacine was believed by many to be responsible for attacking on sheep, several efforts were made to save the species from extinction. Records of the Wilsons Promontory management committee dating to 1908 included recommendations for Thylacines to be reintroduced to several suitable locations on the Victorian mainland. In 1928, the Tasmanian Advisory Committee for Native Fauna had recommended a reserve to protect any remaining Thylacines, with potential sites of suitable habitat including the Arthur-Pieman area of western Tasmania.

In 1930 Wilf Batty, a farmer, killed the last known wild Thylacine in Mawbanna, in the northeast of the state. The animal, believed to have been a male, had been seen around Baty’s house for several weeks.

Image via Wiki and is part of the public domain.

Caption: “This 1921 photo by Henry Burrell of a Thylacine with a chicken was widely distributed and may have helped secure the animal’s reputation as a poultry thief. In fact the image is cropped to hide the fenced run and housing, and analysis by one researcher has concluded that this Thylacine is a mounted specimen, posed for the camera.”

Image via Wiki and is part of the public domain.

Description: “This iconic image of a bagged thylacine featuring Mr. Weaver in a studio portrait is repeatedly published yet it is not attributed. It may have been taken by Victor Prout who sojourned briefly in Tasmania in the late 1860s but is known and praised for his excellent panoramas of Sydney Harbour by contemporary photohistorians.”

Finally comes the portion of the Wiki entry that I excerpted in my explanation of the Karma banner, as it ties in directly with the Thylacine exhibit I saw:

The last captive Thylacine, later referred to as “Benjamin” (although its sex has never been confirmed) was captured in 1933 and sent to the Hobart Zoo where it lived for three years. [...] This Thylacine died on 7 September 1936. It is believed to have died as the result of neglect—locked out of its sheltered sleeping quarters, it was exposed to a rare occurrence of extreme Tasmanian weather: extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night. This Thylacine features in the last known motion picture footage of a living specimen: 62 seconds of black-and-white footage showing it pacing backwards and forwards in its enclosure in a clip taken in 1933 by naturalist David Fleay. National Threatened Species Day has been held annually since 1996 on 7 September in Australia, to commemorate the death of the last officially recorded Thylacine. [...]

The Thylacine held the status of endangered species until 1986. International standards state that any animal for which no specimens have been recorded for 50 years is to be declared extinct. Since no definitive proof of the Thylacine’s existence had been found since “Benjamin” died in 1936, it met that official criterion and was declared officially extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Thylacine sculpture pictured in the Karma banner sat on a table, not far from a projection screen. There playing, on a never ending loop, were the 62 seconds of Benjamin’s life immortalized on film.

It’s difficult for me to convey the melancholia exuded by this one exhibit. Photos of the display appear depressing enough, but they only capture a fraction of the emotions I remember feeling, at once mesmerized and appalled by the images on the screen. It was…heartbreaking, in a word. A painfully stark contrast to the frivolity and lightheartedness of the other pieces in the exhibit.

Even the display’s placement was depressing – the Thylacine artifacts were sequestered in corner, sad and lonely. Appearing at an art museum, probably this was intentional, meant to emphasize Benjamin’s desolate existence – and the tragic fate of her species.

I watched the film reel a dozen times, possibly more. Imprisoned in a small cage, Benjamin paced back and forth,

back and forth,

back and forth.

Pacing out of – what? Depression? Boredom? Anger? Frustration? Heartache? Loneliness? Most likely, all of these and more.

One of the last of her kind, she died in this prison, the victim of human cruelty and neglect.

And sheer, naked prejudice. Thinking of what befell the Thylacines, I’m reminded of the current plight of wolves in the United States, who are demonized for “stealing” and eating the animals whom humans have destined for their own dinner tables. Wolves need to kill and eat animals; it’s a matter of survival. Humans – at least, these particular humans – do not. The hypocrisy and hatred is stunning.

Unfortunately, President Obama shows little interest in halting the genocide.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare cryptids cryptozoology Thylacine Tasmanian Tiger Benjamin wildlife speciesism hunting extinction wolves kansas city kcmo missouri kansas Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale KCAI Kansas City Art Institute Artspace pseudoscience defenders of wildlife art art exhibit museum flickr photos photo blogging

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

VICTORIES * SETBACKS * PROGRESS

PART 1: APRIL – JUNE 2009 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES

1. Pig Abusers At Hormel Supplier Get 1-2 Year Probation
2. Bureaucrats Reach No Decision On Whaling
3. Lax Officials Knew Travis The Chimp Might Attack
4. Kitten Killer’s Accomplice Is Now Charged Too
5. Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time
6. Foie Gras Producer On Trial For Cruelty
7. Atlanta Falcons Bid Michael Vick A Permanent Farewell
8. “Change” Doesn’t Look Much Different Under Obama
9. California Spay/Neuter Law Passes Senate, Moves To Assembly
10. Groups Sue Salazar In Effort To Save Delisted Wolves
11. Way To Go SAEN! Research Industry Meltdown
12. Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Bans Video Instead Of Abuse
13. California Bullfight Busts Continue; Humane Officer Assaulted
14. Repression Of Austrian Animal Activists Worsens

PART 2: KC UPDATES / APRIL – JUNE 2009
RESEND PART #2 TO ME: info [at] kinshipcircle.org

15. HSUS And Michael Vick Team Up To Fight Dogfighting?
16. Armed To Kill In National Parks: Guns Allowed
17. Maine Is 6th State To Ban Cruel Confinement Crates
18. NC Pro-Gas Chamber Bill Gets A “No” Vote
19. USDA Cites New Iberia Primate Lab For Violations
20. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Against Canada Sealing
21. Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!
22. EU Votes To Let Most Primate Research Continue
23. Karley’s Sociopath Killer Ordered To Stand Trial
24. Horse Slaughterhouses Now Legal In Montana
25. Michigan Pound Gives R&R Research The Boot
26. Big Surprise: Swine Flu, Born On U.S. Factory Farms
27. Los Angeles DA Drops Charges Against Dog Dragger
28. Obama Accepts Breeder Dog As Gift For Daughters

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1. Pig Abusers At Hormel Supplier Get 1-2 Year Probation

SOURCE: 4 in Iowa sentenced to probation for abusing pigs

www.agweek.com/articles/?id=4733&article_id=14500&property_id=41

PHOTOS: www.peta.org/actioncenter/iowa_pigfarm_gallery.asp

6/26/09, SUMMARY: Four employees at a western Iowa farm (owned by MowMar Farms LLP of Fairmont, MN and a supplier to Hormel Foods) were sentenced to probation for pig abuse. The abuse — exposed by a PETA investigator working there undercover — was shown in a graphic video last year.

- Richard Ralston, 28: One count livestock abuse: Two years probation.
- Alan Rettig, 60: One count livestock abuse: Two years probation.
- Greg Hackler: One count livestock abuse: One year probation.
- Jordan Anderson, 26: One count aiding/abetting livestock abuse: Two years probation with deferred judgment (if probation completed, record is erased).
All men but Anderson banned from working with livestock during probation.
**While the penalties seem lame, they’re progress. Charges and litigation rarely even occur in farmed animal abuse cases.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

2/9/09 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Iowa Pig Abuse Case Is Delayed

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor21

10/26/08: Penalize Pig Torturers At Iowa Farm

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1770&seriesfirst=true

9/17/08: Hormel’s Pigs: Slammed, Cut, Spray-painted

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1759&seriesfirst=true

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2. Bureaucrats Reach No Decision On Whaling

SOURCE: No Solution Found at Whaling Forum

english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_europe/2009-06-26/335356219048.html

6/26/09, SUMMARY: The International Whaling Commission (IWC) annual meeting closed — with no agreement between pro or anti-whaling nations… The UK is willing to negotiate a compromise deal such as coastal whaling permits [as is the U.S. See action campaign below]… Meanwhile, conservation groups urged the three pro-whaling nations of Japan, Norway and Iceland to start helping to save whales rather than hunting for commercial use.

URGE U.S. TO PLAY STRONGER ROLE IN PROTECTING WHALES:

3/29/09: Demand Whale Conservation Over Killing

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1817&seriesfirst=true

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3. Lax Officials Knew Travis The Chimp Might Attack

SOURCE: Officials were warned about attack chimp

www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/06/20/news/doc4a3d11fa20f03070715027.txt

LT: Chimps like this little guy are wild animals who naturally mature with aggressive tendencies.

RT: Travis was knifed, beaten, shot and killed after attacking a visitor at the home where he lived as a “pet.” MyFOX NY

6/20/09, SUMMARY: Records obtained by The Associated Press show Connecticut officials failed to take action after being repeatedly warned about the dangers posed by a 200-pound chimpanzee named Travis who later mauled and blinded Charla Nash of Stamford, ripping off her hands, nose, lips and eyelids… The state’s inaction could affect a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages, filed by the victim’s family against chimp owner Sandra Herold.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

2/24/09: Breaking News – House Passes Primate “Pet” Bill

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor15

2/23/09: Wired To Be Wild – Primates Aren’t Pets

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1802&seriesfirst=true

BLOG: Travis once worked in show biz, commercials mostly…

kinshipcircle.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/wired-to-be-wild/

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4. Kitten Killer’s Accomplice Is Now Charged Too

SOURCE: Teen accomplice in kitten roasting case charged with felony animal cruelty

www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/06/17/2009-06-17_teen_accomplice.html

KINSHIP CIRCLE: Your letters, faxes, emails…asked that Cheyenne Cherry’s accomplice also be charged in this sadistic killing. She now is charged.

6/17/09, SUMMARY: A 14-year-old teen mom who helped burn a live kitten named Tiger Lily — after breaking into ex-pal Valerie Hernandez’s Bronx apartment — has been busted by the ASPCA and charged with burglary and felony animal cruelty. [The accomplice, name not released] told investigators she helped Cheyenne Cherry, 17, trash the apartment last month and then toss Tiger Lily into an oven. “She admitted the oven was set to 500 degrees,” said ASPCA Assistant Director Joseph Pentangelo… The 14-year-old, who has a 4-month-old baby girl, is currently serving time for an unrelated crime in a juvenile detention center in the Bronx. She was removed from the Bronx facility, slapped with [new] charges, and returned…

ASK PROSECUTORS FOR MAXIMUM PENALTIES:

6/11/09: A Kitten’s Last Screams From An Oven

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1837&seriesfirst=true

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5. Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time

SOURCE: Business Owners Plead Guilty…Tainted Ingredient Used In Pet Food

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/news2009/miller.ple.htm

6/16/09, SUMMARY: Matt J. Whitworth, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that Sally Qing Miller, 43, a Chinese national, and her husband, Stephen S. Miller, 56 (both of Las Vegas, Nev.) and their company, Chemnutra, Inc., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Maughmer to distributing a tainted ingredient used in pet food. [Their action led to] a nationwide recall of pet food in 2007… FDA consumer reports suggest that approximately 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs died.

Under federal statutes, the Millers are each subject to a sentence of up to two years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $200,000 and an order of restitution. Chemnutra is subject to a fine up to $400,000 and an order of restitution…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES

2/9/08 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Companies Prosecuted In Poisoned Pet Food Recall

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor15

APR-JUN 2007 UPDATES: $45 Million Damage For Menu Foods

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_april-june_2007.html#anchor7

5/8/07: Our Companions Count – FDA Must Monitor Food

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1646&seriesfirst=true

4/25/07: Pet Food Saga Hall Of Shame

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_04_25_07.html

4/14/07: PET FOOD RECALL – News, Updates, Action

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_04_14_07.html

4/2/07: TOXIC FOOD – Updates & Action Against Menu Foods

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1638&seriesfirst=true

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6. Foie Gras Producer On Trial For Cruelty

SOURCE: Cruel foie gras producer going on trial!

www.banfoiegras.org/page.php?module=home

Ducks become so ill from forced feedings, they cannot lift their heads.
Farm Sanctuary, www.farmsanctuary.org

6/16/09, SUMMARY: On 6/16/09 a trial begins in Chicago against Sonoma Foie Gras owner Guillermo Gonzalez, who claimed to media that he thought animal cruelty footage taken on his farm was “staged.” Bryan Pease, APRL Board Chair and pro bono attorney, writes: Gonzalez has admitted in his deposition that his workers force feed ducks to enlarge their livers up to 12 times their normal size. Cal. Health & Safety Code section 25980, passed after an earlier lawsuit filed against Sonoma Foie Gras by APRL and IDA, makes foie gras production and sale illegal in California, effective in three years…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

5/14/08 APR-JUN UPDATES: Chicago Overturns Foie Gras Ban

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor12

========================

7. Atlanta Falcons Bid Michael Vick A Permanent Farewell

SOURCE: Falcons release Vick, wish him well elsewhere

msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9672374/Falcons-release-Vick,-wish-him-well-elsewhere

6/13/09, SUMMARY: Less than five years after the Atlanta Falcons signed Michael Vick to a $130 million contract, the suspended quarterback was released in a 98-word statement… Vick is eligible to immediately sign with a team even though he has not been reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell… Goodell has said he will sit down with Vick after the quarterback completes his 23-month sentence on July 20 for running a dogfighting ring.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

2/26/09 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Jailed Dogfighter Michael Vick Goes Home In May?

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor12

2008 APR-JUNE UPDATES: Vick Dogfight Referee Jailed + Leo Has His Day

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor2

2008 JAN-MAR UPDATES: The Dogs That Vick Hurt

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor26

1/30/08: Vick’s Dogs Speak

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/08-01-30.html#3

2007 SEPT-DEC UPDATES: Vick’s Dogs…You Helped Save Their Lives

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2007.html

========================

8. “Change” Doesn’t Look Much Different Under Obama

SOURCE: Obama Admin Targets Environmental/Animal Rights Activists As Eco-Terrorists

www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-Administration-Targe-by-Stephen-Lendman-090605-93.html

6/5/09, SUMMARY: [This long op-ed is worth a read. Click link above.] What began under George Bush continues under Barack Obama — targeting dedicated activists with “one of today’s most serious domestic terrorism threats,” according former FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterterrorism John Lewis before a Senate panel in May 2005. Called “eco-terrorism,” it grew out of the 2001 USA Patriot Act that created the federal crime of “domestic terrorism” and applied it to US citizens as well as aliens. As a result, innocent people are targeted, accused, convicted and sentenced to hard time for constitutionally protected non-violent environmental activism or supporting animal rights…

WHEN WILL FEDS GO AFTER THE REAL BAD GUYS?

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/RinglingBrosTheBigCon.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/MoveAlQuaeda.pdf

========================

9. CA Spay/Neuter Law Passes Senate, Moves To Assembly

SOURCE: WE WON! SB 250 has PASSED the SENATE!
Judie Mancuso, President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)
www.SocialCompassionInLegislation.org * www.YESonSB250.com

6/2/09, SUMMARY: THANK YOU EVERYBODY! Your calls and faxes literally shut down Sacramento Senate offices, which reported that SUPPORT calls/faxes outnumbered opposition by a ratio of 20 to 1! This was the deciding factor for many Senators. Senator Florez has personally requested that I express to you his appreciation and gratitude for taking the time to make such a huge, positive statement in the Senate. SB 250 now moves to the Assembly. We will update you as needed. Please kiss all your dogs and cats, and tell them today is a big day for pets in California!

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

6/25/09: FRIENDS OF KC – Vote For Historic Spay/Neuter Bill Is 6/30. Act Now.

friendsofkinshipcircle.wordpress.com

4/8/09: FRIENDS OF KC – California: Spay/Neuter Bill Needs Your Voice Now

friendsofkinshipcircle.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/california-spayneuter-bill-needs-your-voice-now/

6/11/07: The Woman Behind The Mandatory Spay/Neuter Bill

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/07-06-10.html#17

6/6/07, APR-JUN UPDATES: Healthy Pets Act Passes State Assembly

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_april-june_2007.html#anchor6

4/24/07: KC DIGEST – Make Model Mandatory Spay/Neuter Law Reality

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_04.html#anchor1

4/12/07: Support Landmark CA Law For Mandatory Spay/Neuter

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/07-04-14.html#7

========================

10. Groups Sue Salazar In Effort To Save Delisted Wolves

SOURCE: Conservationists file suit to reinstate wolf protections

www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005126352

6/2/09, SUMMARY: [A coalition of 13 conservation groups**] filed suit against the federal government to reverse removed Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. The 13 groups charge that U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar failed to fully consider scientific and legal inadequacies underlying the delisting rule — released in the waning days of the Bush administration — before adopting it on 4/2/09. The groups claim the rule will let more than two-thirds of the region’s wolves be killed before U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would even consider stepping back in to restore protections.

**Earthjustice represents Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the U.S., Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Western Watersheds Project, Wildlands Project, Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/6/09 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Wolves Lose: Sec. Salazar Takes Away Protection

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor8

1/22/09: Obama’s Freeze May Give Gray Wolves Reprieve

kinshipcircle.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/help-abolish-lethal-wildlife-services-during-obamas-freeze/

11/25/08: Save Gray Wolves From Bush Admin’s Kill Plan
www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1779& seriesfirst=true

NOV 2008 KC DIGEST: Animals Would Like President-Elect Barack Obama To Know…

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_12.html#anchor4

========================

11. Way To Go SAEN! Research Industry Meltdown

SOURCE: News Release: Research industry next to meltdown, charges watchdog
Michael A. Budkie, SAEN: 513-575-5517; 513-703-9865, saen [at] saenonline.org

6/1/09, SUMMARY: The next industry meltdown may be in the nation’s research laboratories, an independent research watchdog said after it filed a wide-ranging complaint against 26 laboratories — including those at Harvard, MIT, John Hopkins and the University of California — for fraud.

The complaint filed with the Secretary of Agriculture urges an immediate probe of 50 U.S. researchers for filing fraudulent documents and for performing virtually identical experimentation in violation of federal regulations. SAEN, a nonprofit group based in Ohio, filed the complaint following an exhaustive study of 57 taxpayer-funded research grants valued at more than $110 million over a five year period. The study concluded these projects have a redundancy index of 5.4 out of a possible 6 when compared to each other… Copies of the complaint…are available upon request.

FIGHT WITH THE FACTS. DOWNLOAD THIS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/VivisectiLessonFutilityPH.pdf

========================

12. Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Bans Video Instead Of Abuse

SOURCE: Cheyenne Bans Video Cameras & Cell Phones at Rodeo
www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000454 * contactshark [at] gmail.com

Examples of “entertainment” at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000454

6/09, SUMMARY: After four years of [documented] abuse, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo committee decided that it would be easier to ban video cameras, (including cell phones cameras) than banning animal abuse. “CFD continues to abuse animals by way of Steer Busting and Wild Horse Race events despite a website pledge that CFD, ‘does not tolerate, condone, or permit actions that abuse animals,’” says SHARK president Steve Hindi. “Instead of banning the abuse, the committee has chosen to ban the documentation of the abuse.”

RELATED STORES:

VIDEO: Cruel Cheyenne Rodeo Bans Video Cameras!

Rodeo bucks video at Frontier Days

www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12473750

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

4/29/09: Coke & Rodeo – Official Soft Drink Of Cruelty?

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1824&seriesfirst=true

4/12/08 APR-JUN UPDATES: Matchbox Twenty Cancels Performance at CFD Rodeo

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor24

FIGHT BACK WITH FACTS. DOWNLOAD THIS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/TheMythOfTheCowboy.pdf

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13. CA Bullfight Busts Continue; Humane Officer Assaulted

SOURCE: Animal rights group continues investigation of Thornton bullfight

www.lodinews.com/articles/2009/06/05/news/3_bullfight_090605.txt

This image, from Ban Blood Sports website shows a bleeding bull gasping for breath near end of a bullfight. Photo: ADDA. www.banbloodsports.com

6/09, SUMMARY: A humane officer for Animal Cruelty Investigations attended bullfights in the Los Angeles community of Artesia on 5/23/09 and in Thornton on 5/29/09… In “bloodless bullfights,” participants try to attach poles tipped with Velcro to a Velcro pad secured to the bull’s back. ACI claims three-inch nails had been inserted in the tips of the poles and beneath the Velcro pad on the bull.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s spokesman Les Garcia said there is no local investigation because ACI hasn’t provided photographs, film or bullfighting poles with nails to back its allegations. That’s because ACI humane officer, Andrew J. Stewart, will continue to attend bullfights in Calif. counties to collect evidence, ACI attorney David Castleman said. Between fights, when Stewart tried to grab bandoleras, he was put in a chokehold by Darren Nunes, 24, of Los Banos, and almost lost consciousness… Cesar Rocha, 38, of Gustine, and Nunes were arrested on misdemeanor assault…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

5/29/09: Bullfight Bust Uncovers Cruelty In Los Angeles

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1834&seriesfirst=true

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14. Repression Of Austrian Animal Activists Worsens

SOURCE: Peter Muller, Chair, Equal Justice Alliance
EJA [at] HumaneVoters.Org

5/26/09, SUMMARY: The Austrian Minister of Justice plans to charge 30 more animal activists beyond the 10 who were imprisoned for four months last year. Permitting this outrage in a civilized western nation is likely to encourage similar oppression elsewhere, including the United States. Kinship Circle signed on to a letter to express objections to the Austrian Minister of Justice, President, and Chancellor, adding the comments below:

“The chain of events from last year’s imprisonment of uncharged Austrian activists to the ministry’s current intent to charge them without substantiated evidence — along with 30 more animal activists “guilty” of little more than civil disobedience and seized bits of conversations reviewed out of context — threatens the very notion of constitutional rights within a free society. I am surprised these activities have continued with so little regard for individual liberties. We are troubled by the alleged and ongoing repression of our Austrian animal advocacy colleagues, and hope actions are underway to uphold freedom of speech in Austria.”

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION, HERE:

Tell Austrian Government – Release Animal Rights Activists

secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1285

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

6/11/08: Austria – Animal Activists Unlawfully Jailed

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1745&seriesfirst=true

========================

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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle
Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Subject: Part 2/ UPDATES: APR – JUN 2009

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

VICTORIES * SETBACKS * PROGRESS

PART 2: APRIL – JUNE 2009 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES

15. HSUS And Michael Vick Team Up To Fight Dogfighting?
16. Armed To Kill In National Parks: Guns Allowed
17. Maine Is 6th State To Ban Cruel Confinement Crates
18. NC Pro-Gas Chamber Bill Gets A “No” Vote
19. USDA Cites New Iberia Primate Lab For Violations
20. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Against Canada Sealing
21. Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!
22. EU Votes To Let Most Primate Research Continue
23. Karley’s Sociopath Killer Ordered To Stand Trial
24. Horse Slaughterhouses Now Legal In Montana
25. Michigan Pound Gives R&R Research The Boot
26. Big Surprise: Swine Flu, Born On U.S. Factory Farms
27. Los Angeles DA Drops Charges Against Dog Dragger
28. Obama Accepts Breeder Dog As Gift For Daughters

PART 1: KC UPDATES / APRIL – JUNE 2009
RESEND PART #1 TO ME: info [at] kinshipcircle.org

1. Pig Abusers At Hormel Supplier Get 1-2 Year Probation
2. Bureaucrats Reach No Decision On Whaling
3. Lax Officials Knew Travis The Chimp Might Attack
4. Kitten Killer’s Accomplice Is Now Charged Too
5. Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time
6. Foie Gras Producer On Trial For Cruelty
7. Atlanta Falcons Bid Michael Vick A Permanent Farewell
8. “Change” Doesn’t Look Much Different Under Obama
9. California Spay/Neuter Law Passes Senate, Moves To Assembly
10. Groups Sue Salazar In Effort To Save Delisted Wolves
11. Way To Go SAEN! Research Industry Meltdown
12. Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Bans Video Instead Of Abuse
13. California Bullfight Busts Continue; Humane Officer Assaulted
14. Repression Of Austrian Animal Activists Worsens

========================

15. HSUS And Michael Vick Team Up To Fight Dogfighting?

SOURCE: 5/21/09, Humane Society Sees Vick as an Ally, Not a Pariah

www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/sports/football/22rhoden.html?_r=1

LT to RT: Vick, sentenced to 23 months in prison, Jason Hirschfeld/Associated Press.
Purnell Peace conspired with Vick, Phillips and Tony Taylor to kill dogs, Helber/AP.
Quanis Phillips, like Vick and Peace, “thought it was funny” to place family pets in the ring with trained fighting dogs, Helber/AP.
Former Vick fighting dog Leo now acts as a therapy dog, comforting cancer patients, MSNBC.com. www.examiner.com

5/21/09, SUMMARY: Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States…recently broke ranks with much of the animal rights community and forged a partnership with Michael Vick…to eradicate dogfighting among youths… The Humane Society’s position has nothing to do with endorsing Vick’s return to football but rather with finding a way to use his visibility to fight the scourge of dogfighting, which Pacelle said is gaining popularity with African-American and Hispanic teenagers in urban areas (where [HSUS] has begun anti-dogfighting initiatives)…

FIGHT BACK WITH FACTS. DOWNLOAD THIS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/fatalfights.pdf

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16. Armed To Kill In National Parks: Guns Now Allowed

SOURCE: Heading to a National Park? Now You Can Pack Heat

www.truthout.org/052209T

5/20/09, SUMMARY: Here’s a list of stuff the typical American family can legally carry into national parks this summer: sleeping bag, toothbrush, loaded guns. Thanks to a 279-147 vote in the House of Representatives, visitors to the nation’s parks and wildlife refuges will be able to carry weapons… Scot McElveen, the president of the Association of National Park Rangers, predicted that “park wildlife, including some rare or endangered species, will face increased threats by visitors with firearms who engage in impulse or opportunistic shooting.”

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17. Maine Is 6th State To Ban Cruel Confinement Crates

SOURCE: Another State Bans Gestation Crates and Veal Crates

action.farmsanctuary.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=10661.0&printer_friendly=1

5/15/09, SUMMARY: Maine’s governor signed into law a bill that protects farm animals by banning veal crates and gestation crates! Maine is the 6th state in the nation to prohibit certain extreme-confinement systems. Last fall, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2, a ballot initiative that eliminates veal crates, sow gestation crates, and battery cages for egg-laying hens. Similar anti-confinement initiatives have passed in Florida, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado. Similar legislation has been introduced in New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

FACT SHEETS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutThePorkIndust.pdf

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18. NC Pro-Gas Chamber Bill Gets A “No” Vote

SOURCE: NC House Judiciary Committee Votes No to Pro-Gas Chamber Bill

www.animallawcoalition.com/gas-chambers/article/692

5/13/09, SUMMARY: The Judiciary II Committee in the North Carolina House has said no to a pro-gas chamber bill. By a vote of 7-5, the committee killed the bill. It is now dead for this session. This is thanks to your faxes, emails and calls. For more on this bill, H.B. 27, read Animal Law Coalition’s report (at link above, under SOURCE).

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

7/23/08, JULY 2008 DIGEST: NC Gas Chambers: Explosion With 10 Dogs Inside

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_07.html#anchor2

NOV 2007 DIGEST: Stop Gassing Of Pets In Yadkin County, NC Gas Chamber

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_11.html#anchor2

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19. USDA Cites New Iberia Primate Lab For Violations

SOURCE: USDA Inspects New Iberia Research Ctr – Inspectors Cite Multiple Issues: www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2009/05/newiberia.shtml

USDA REPORT on New Iberia Research Center

www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/downloads/inspection/72-r-0007.pdf

5/11/09, SUMMARY: USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted an inspection at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s New Iberia Research Center [largest primate lab in U.S.] on 3/17/09, in response to a complaint filed by the Humane Society of the U.S. The inspection revealed issues with the facility’s compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. USDA will take action to ensure these issues are corrected… Inspectors cited the facility for its handling of animals as well as its environment enhancement of nonhuman primates… The inspectors also found problems with New Iberia’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)…

HAVEN’T TAKEN ACTION? DO IT NOW!

3/20/09: Get Great Apes Out Of Laboratories

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1815&seriesfirst=true

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20. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Against Canada Sealing

SOURCE: Senate passes Levin-Collins resolution urging end to Canadian seal hunt

www.opencongress.org/bill/111-sr84/show

5/7/09, SUMMARY: Current 111 Session of Congress — S.Res.84 urges the Canadian government to prohibit commercial hunting of seals. Expresses support for an unconditional prohibition by European Union on trade in seal products. Passed by Unanimous Consent in Senate on 5/7/09. Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

========================

21. Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!

SOURCE: EU seal ban a ‘black day for Atlantic Canada’ Industry

www.canada.com/news/Parliament+votes+seal+imports/1564814/story.html

5/5/09 SUMMARY: The European Parliament votes overwhelmingly to ban seal items from import/export across the European Union’s 27 nations. It’s a positive leap for the seals who Kinship Circle — along with many other animal groups — have labored to save through action campaigns and education.

HAVEN’T TAKEN ACTION? DO IT NOW!

4/25/09: Don’t Stain 2010 Olympics With The Blood Of Seals

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1822&seriesfirst=true

3/7/09: Canada Seal Bill Dropped, No Debate. Demand End To Killing.

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1811&seriesfirst=true

SPREAD THE TRUTH. DOWNLOAD THIS FACT SHEET:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/BloodPrintOnIce.pdf

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22. EU Votes To Let Most Primate Research Continue

SOURCE: EU OKs primate research

www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55675/

5/5/09, SUMMARY: Research with non-human primates was approved by the European Parliament (540 MEPs in favor, 66 opposed, 34 abstentions). The directive revises draft legislation introduced by the European Commission 11/08 that called for a near-blanket ban on primate testing… The EC legislation does, however, forbid testing on great apes, except to help conserve these species. The report recommends phasing out wild-caught animals in favor of laboratory-bred animals over 10 years, and calls for an overall reduction in primates in research. It also spells out categories of pain, with guidelines about when repeat testing is allowable…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

11/5/08 OCT-DEC UPDATES: EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2008.html#anchor19

9/6/07: Urge Primate Testing Ban In Europe

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1679&seriesfirst=true

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23. Karley’s Sociopath Killer Ordered To Stand Trial

SOURCE: Glynn Johnson is being “Held To Answer”

www.zimbio.com/Stop+Animal+Cruelty/articles/108/Glynn+Johnson+being+Held+Answer

5/2/09, SUMMARY: Glynn Demon Johnson, a retired L.A. County assistant fire chief charged in the beating death of his neighbor’s puppy, has been ordered to stand trial. Johnson, 54, is charged with felony animal cruelty and using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in connection with the beating of Karley, a 6-month-old German shepherd mix, on 11/3/08.

Johnson claims he was in his house on Armintrout Drive in the Woodcrest community, just south of Riverside, when he spotted Karley running loose through his yard on the day of the alleged attack.

She was picked up by a neighbor, Travis Staggs, who was taking the dog home when Johnson offered to return the animal himself. Staggs handed Karley over and…told sheriff’s investigators that, seemingly without provocation, Johnson turned and struck the dog “with his closed fist, 10-15 times.” Staggs said Johnson tried to pry open the animal’s jaws and then “picked up a rock and began striking Karley in the head,” the affidavit stated…

The vet told sheriff’s investigators that Karley had a shattered skull and appeared to have a broken jaw. At the Tooles’ request, the dog was euthanized. Johnson retired from the fire department soon after the allegations arose. He is free on $10,000 bail.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/16/08 UPDATES / OCT-DEC: L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2008.html#anchor6

11/14/08: Puppy Fatally Beaten By Los Angeles Firefighter

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1776&seriesfirst=true

========================

24. Horse Slaughterhouses Now Legal In Montana

SOURCE: Horse slaughter legalized in Montana

www.poocini.com/report/archives/1687

PHOTOS: www.poocini.com/report/archives/1687 and www.poocini.com/report/archives/1695

5/1/09, SUMMARY: House Bill 418, to allow investor-owned horse slaughterhouses in Montana while limiting opportunities for legal action against them, became law. The measure sponsored by Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, aims to limit the kind of legal challenges that forced the last U.S. slaughterhouses, in Illinois and Texas, to close in 2007.

Washington, DC, The “Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act” (S. 727) will end the slaughter of American horses on a national level, as well as the export of horses for slaughter across our borders… The bill came at a time when horse slaughter no longer occurred on U.S. soil, but with enactment of Montana’s HB 418, passage of S. 727 through the U.S. Senate is critical…

TAKE ACTION – CLICK ON LINKS FOR SAMPLE LETTER/CONTACT INFO:

Stop Horse Slaughter Blitz At State/Federal Levels

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1816&seriesfirst=true

Horse Slaughter Bill Is Back In 111th Congress

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1801&seriesfirst=true

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25. Michigan Pound Gives R&R Research The Boot

SOURCE: Montcalm County citizens win; animals no longer to be sold for research! www.poocini.com/report/archives/1658

4/27/09, SUMMARY: Montcalm County Board of Commissioners’ voted 6-3 not to extend its 30-year relationship with R&R Research. Simply put, pets in Montcalm County, Michigan will no longer be handed over to Class B dealers to be sold for medical research. For everyone who fought for their community alongside citizen groups like the Concerned Citizens Coalition of Montcalm, [and all Kinship Circle members who took action!] — this is your victory.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/29/08 JAN-APR UPDATES: Michigan Pound Renews R & R Research, 6 Months

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor24

1/7/09: Misery For Profit At Michigan Pound

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1793&seriesfirst=true

========================

26. Big Surprise: Swine Flu, Born On U.S. Factory Farms

SOURCE: Swine Flu Ancestor Born on U.S. Factory Farms

www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/swineflufarm

5/1/09, SUMMARY: Scientists have traced the genetic lineage of the new H1N1 swine flu to a strain that emerged in 1998 in U.S. factory farms, where it spread and mutated at an alarming rate… “Industrial farms are super-incubators for viruses,” said Bob Martin, former executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Animal Farm Production… Diseases travel rapidly through such immunologically stressed populations, and stay with animals as they are shuttled nationwide between birth and slaughter. That provides ample opportunity for strains to mingle and recombine. An array of industry-developed vaccines confer short-term protection, but at the expense of provoking flu to evolve in unpredictable ways…

In 2003, the American Public Health Association called for a ban on contained animal feeding operations. One year later, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital virologist Richard Webby, one of the original chroniclers of H3N2′s emergence, called the U.S. swine population “an increasingly important reservoir of viruses with human pandemic potential…”

RELATED STORIES:

Ill Export: Factory Farms…disastrous public relations for Smithfield Foods

hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/05/smithfield.html

A Possible Connection: Swine Flu and Factory Farms

hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/04/swine-flu.html

Mexico outbreak traced to ‘manure lagoons’ at pig farm

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6182789.ece

Swine Flu Outbreak — Nature Biting Back at Industrial Animal Production?

www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/swine-flu-outbreak—-nat_b_191408.html

========================

27. Los Angeles DA Drops Charges Against Dog Dragger

SOURCE: Jim Willis, author, Pieces of My Hearts, tiergartenjim [at] yahoo.com
Cat and Dog Rescue Association, catdogrescue [at] gmail.com, 323-666-1357
Karma Rescue, www.KarmaRescue.org, info [at] karmarescue.org

BEFORE PHOTO: Bluebell (Prada), shown bloodied and injured after dragged from her former owner’s pickup truck in 12/08. Southeast Area Animal Control Agency brought her back to good health.

AFTER PHOTO: BlueBell recovers at SEAACA, before she moves to foster care with Karma Rescue. (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger) SEAACA, www.seaaca.org/bluebell.htm

4/28/09, SUMMARY: In Dec. 2008, Bryana Wilson of Norwalk near Los Angeles brought a one-year old dog, Prada, to the local shelter to be killed because the dog had an undiagnosed skin problem (mange). She put Prada in the back of an open pick-up and tied her with a leash. The dog’s guardian drove too fast and Prada fell out of the truck. The screaming dog was dragged for blocks because the driver didn’t notice… The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office will not press charges against the dog’s caretaker… Prada rode in the truckbed (rather than cab) because her guardian said she smelled. “This dog’s open sores, red, raw skin and hair loss took months to develop. Untreated mange this bad can shut down a dog’s organs and kill a dog. It is cheap and easy to treat with over-the-counter medicine. This crime alone is enough for a cruelty case to be filed,” says Lois Newman, President of the Cat and Dog Rescue Association in Los Angeles.

FAST FORWARD: Prada, renamed Bluebell, healed physically and emotionally. (As of mid-May, 09) she still resides in her temporary foster home in Malibu. She plays with other dogs because rescuers socialized and trained her. Karma Rescue: karmarescue.org

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/22/08 OCT-DEC UPDATES: Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2008.html#anchor2

12/17/08: Second Chance For Dragged Pit Bull

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1787&seriesfirst=true

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28. Obama Accepts Breeder Dog As Gift For Daughters

SOURCE: Betrayal from our President

www.examiner.com/x-3605-DC-Animal-Welfare-Examiner~y2009m4d12-Betrayal-from-our-President

4/11/09, SUMMARY: Obamas get pup from a Texas breeder, by way of Senator Ted Kennedy as a “gift.” We’re disappointed President Obama opted for a Portuguese water dog from a breeder — especially after so many animal groups lobbied him to to adopt from a shelter. A rescue dog in the White House would have established a visually powerful precedent…

“TELL US SOMETHING WE DIDN’T KNOW” DEPARTMENT:

Requests to breeders for Portuguese Water Dogs Jump 100% in U.S., 120% in UK:

www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/06/20/First-dog-a-sales-boon-for-canine-breed/UPI-87521245511358/

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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals dog canine pet companion animal mutt german shepherd shepherd mix karley la los angeles california firefighter riverside county Glynn Johnson flickr photos news in the news cat feline hormel pigs factory farming farmed animals International Whaling Commission iwc whales whaling whale meat wildlife conservation travis chimp chimpanzee primate Cheyenne Cherry tiger lilly pet food recall foie gras ducks michael vick hsus shark dogfighting bloodsports bullfighting barack obama green scare civil liverties aeta sb 250 spay neuter wolves SAEN vivisection animal research animal testing animal experimentation Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo rodeo Austria censorship maine farm sanctuary veal crates gestation crates cows calves north carolina shelters Iberia Primate Lab usda swine flu canada seal hunt seal skin sealing montana horses horse slaughter horse meat michigan R&R Research class b dealers pound seizure bluebell prada Bryana Wilson

This one comes from the Yahoo Group Animal Advocacy and is reprinted in its entirety. The CounterPunch article linked to in the alert is lengthy but informative; you can find talking points there or here. (The latter being the equally long-but-informative Newsweek article, “It’s Survival of the Weak and Scrawny; Researchers see ‘evolution in reverse’ as hunters kill off prized animals with the biggest antlers and pelts.”)

Why eBay Should Stop Selling Guided Hunts for Wolves, Bears and Cougars
Blood Sport Auction
By CHRIS GENOVALI

There is an amazing array of things one can purchase on EBay, from used lawn furniture to vintage dolls to bongs allegedly used by Olympic athletes. Among the myriad items being sold on EBay are guided hunts of North America’s grizzly bears, black bears, wolves and cougars. It’s hard to believe, but these recreational killing opportunities are now bought and sold on the world’s largest internet auction site; EBay has become an online marketplace peddling the trophy hunting of the continent’s top-level predator species.

ACTION: Please email and/or write the following individuals and demand that eBay stop this atrocious practice.

Matthew J. Bannick, President, eBay International: matthewb [at] ebay.com

Bill Cobb, President eBay North America: billcobb [at] ebay.com

You can also write a letter to them at:

eBay Inc.
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125

PLEASE WRITE AND FORWARD WIDELY!

———————-

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alert animal advocacy hunting ebay guided hunts boycott news in the news blood sports

I must admit to never watching Whale Wars; while, one the one hand, I recognize the need to support animal-friendly programming such as WW, I really can’t bring myself to watch the more graphic, gruesome stuff. I already know what a bloody, needless mess whaling is – no need to voluntarily witness footage of such, thus giving myself a week’s worth of nightmares.

That said, many thanks everyone who does tune in to these kind of shows, thus helping to keep them on the air!

Anyhow, Matt from Animal Planet provided links to several news season 2 Whale Wars videos on You Tube.

The Season 2 trailer is relatively blood-free, save for a brief shot of a whale being harpooned and pulled towards a whaling ship:
 

You can also meet the crew, the members of which are intact and unbloodied:
 

Collisions at sea, harrowing nautical maneuvers, a near-death experience in an ice field and more aggressive Japanese defenses against the Sea Shepherds — including the use of Long Range Acoustical Devices (LRADs), sonic devices that cause intense pain and could cause permanent hearing damage — are just some of the highlights in store this season. And this year, the Japanese whaling fleet suffered a deadly loss as one of its workers slipped and fell overboard (not during an engagement with the Sea Shepherds) and whose body was never recovered.

Whale Wars airs Fridays at 9 PM E/P; will you be watching?

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare animal planet whale wars paul watson sea shepherd terrorism eco-terrorism animal rights terrorism whaling whales anti-whaling videos video blogging you tube pop culture tv

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

PART 1: OCT – DEC 2008 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES
YEAR END WRAP UP – Victories * Setbacks * Progress For Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/

PART 1: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008

1. Donna Karan Announces Fur-Free 2009 Lines
2. Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable
3. Cat Killing Boyfriend Walks Free
4. Records Show Big Industry Planned AETA All Along
5. Obama Picks: The Good & The Not So Good
6. L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing
7. Netherlands Ban Products Made Of Cape Fur Seals
8. Prempro Maker, Wyeth, Pays For Fake Articles
9. Report On Hallmark/Westland Downer Scandal
10. Eddie Lama’s Oasis Sanctuary Closes
11. Michael Vick: Early Release & Back To NFL?

PART 2: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008
RESEND PART #2 TO ME: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net

12. Hero’s Plan To Save Wild Horses Moves Forward
13. Until Export Is Banned, More Horses Killed
14. Rodeo “Horse Tripping” Outlawed In Phoenix
15. Houston: Biggest Dogfight Bust In U.S. History
16. Activists Vow To Overturn Navy’s Use Of Sonar
17. Oxford Univ. Lab To Use Thousands Of Animals
18. Prop 2 Passes For Calif. Farmed Animals
19. EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments
20. Ringling Bros. Big Fat Federal Lawsuit
21. Alaska Whales: 1 vs. Gov. Sarah Palin: 0

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1. Donna Karan Announces Fur-Free 2009 Lines

SOURCE: 12/22/08, Donna Karan Dumps Fur!
READ FULL STORY: blog.peta.org/archives/2008/12/donna_karan.php

FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE: We’re not sure we trust her, yet. If you took action on KC’s recent alert “Bunnies Hate Donna Karan,” that’s great! She needs to hear that consumers are serious about a 100% fur-free policy.

Donna Karan has announced that her fall 2009 lines will be fur-free and that she has “no plans” to use fur in the future… Karan’s announcement came days after PETA launched our (now offline) DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com website and after mega-fashion guru Tim Gunn sent Karan and designer Giorgio Armani a video he narrated for PETA showing animals skinned alive and urged them to open their eyes to the violent and bloody fur industry…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/18/08: Bunnies Hate Donna Karan’s Killer Couture

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1789&seriesfirst=true

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2. Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable

KINSHIP CIRCLE: Many have asked about Prada (renamed Bluebell), the pit bull dragged behind a truck into the parking lot of Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (where she is now sheltered). Jim Willis (tiergartenjim [at] yahoo.com) coordinated the following updates from his sources in Los Angeles:

12/22/08, From Ruth Silny, an area animal advocate who has visited Prada/Bluebell, rsilny [at] sbcglobal.net — From what I learned when I spoke with Corp. Torres — once healed, she’ll be adoptable. I’m sure they’ll fine-tooth comb every applicant already on a list. She cannot be with any dogs due to some aggressiveness… She is adorable, a good natured dog… Her front legs were healing better, her hind needed attention. She is a beautiful blue-grey color with beautiful eyes… They [SEAACA] are on top of this and other cases, and thankfully they have the courts on their side.

From Aaron Reyes, Director of Operations, SEAACA, Aaron [at] seaaca.org — The court case is sitting on the DA’s desk, with a March court date per the citation the owner signed… I think we have a solid case that will show negligence which caused Bluebell severe pain and suffering…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/17/08: Second Chance For Dragged Pit Bull

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1787&seriesfirst=true

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3. Cat Killing Boyfriend Walks Free

SOURCE: 12/19/08, Actor pleads guilty in NYC cat-kill case
READ FULL STORY: www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11246/NY/US/RSS/#UPDATES

Joseph Petcka, 38, an actor and former minor league baseball player who killed his girlfriend’s cat, has pleaded guilty to felony aggravated cruelty to animals. He faces up to 500 hours of community service at his March 2 sentencing. The plea removes the need for a second trial. His first ended with the jury deadlocked 11-1. Prosecutors said Petcka killed the 7-year-old cat, Norman (March 2007) in a drunken, jealous rage… Petcka said outside court that he hopes to do community service in a youth athletics program.

ANIMAL ABUSERS BELONG IN JAIL – NOT YOUTH PROGRAMS

The Honorable Leila Kermani, Assistant District Attorney
Office of the Manhattan District Attorney
One Hogan Place; NY, NY 10013
ph: 212-335-3630 (or 9400); fax: 212-335-9288

The Honorable Michael J. Obus
Manhattan Criminal Court; 100 Centre Street; NY, NY 10013
ph: 646-386-4500; fax: 212-374-5293

SOME TALKING POINTS:

The last place Joseph Petcka belongs is alongside children.

Violence against animals is a well-documented precursor to violence against humans. Randall Lockwood, Ph.D. — a frequent consultant to cruelty investigators, law enforcers, and mental health professionals — describes violence against non-threatening creatures unlikely to retaliate as a precursor to assaulting children, the elderly or disabled.

This wasn’t Petcka’s first offense: Petcka had vented rage on Norman in the past. Altobelli told jurors she’d found her frightened cat drenched in water. “He was hissing [at Petcka],” Altobelli testified. “Obviously, that was a huge red flag.” But the flag apparently wasn’t red enough. Similar “blind rage” once stirred Petcka to slam a door on another ex-girlfriend, severing her fingertip (although this incident was banned from the trial).

Convicted animal abusers should serve time behind bars — not fulfill community service orders at a youth athletics program, where they’re exposed to vulnerable juveniles.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

10/24/08: No Plea Deal For Ruthless Cat Killer

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1768&seriesfirst=true

10/7/08: Demand Retrial For Vicious Cat Killer

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1765&seriesfirst=true

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4. Records Show Big Industry Planned AETA All Along

SOURCE: 12/17/08, Plans for Labeling Activists as “Eco-Terrorists”
READ FULL STORY: www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/2008/12/17/internal-industry-documents-show-plans-for-labeling-activists-as-eco-terrorists-part-1-of-3/

by Will Potter, www.GreenistheNewRed.com — It’s been two years since passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a sweeping law that wraps up non-violent civil disobedience and hurting corporate profits as “terrorism.”

…Here, for the first time, are some of the internal documents outlining how corporations and industry groups planned to label activists “eco-terrorists.” I’ve obtained them from a source who wishes to remain anonymous. They’re the creation of the Animal Enterprise Protection Coalition, a network formed for the sole purpose of passing this “eco-terrorism” legislation…

Note how “Will Potter’s Blog” is listed under the opposition. I guess I should be honored, right?

KINSHIP CIRCLE: And there we are, underneath IDA. We are honored too! We are on Big Industry’s pro-animal radar screen.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/19/07: Invite Congress To AETA Briefing On The Hill

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1634&seriesfirst=true

12/8/06: AETA UPDATE / Hope For Repeal?

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_12_8.html

11/16/06: Questions & Rumors: Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_11_16.html

11/13/06: Done Deal? AETA Passes

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_11_13.html

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5. Obama Picks: The Good & The Not So Good

SOURCE: 12/17/08, Michael Markarian / Obama’s Animal Welfare Team
FULL: hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2008/12/cabinet_apppoin.html

FORMER IOWA GOV. TOM VILSACK IS SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

Gov. Tom Vilsack, the next Secretary of Agriculture, has a solid record on animal protection… He will have a big role in how our nation confronts puppy mills, factory farming, predator control, use of animals in research, and other practices and industries that have compromised animal welfare.

* Vilsack advocated to toughen state penalties for animal fighting…
* Vetoed a 2006 bill that would have reclassified dogs as “farm products.”
* Vetoed 2001 legislation to allow sport hunting of mourning doves…

U.S. SEN. KEN SALAZAR (CO) IS NEXT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Senator Salazar scored 0% on the Humane Scorecard for the 109th Congress, and 50% in the 110th Congress. As Interior chief, Salazar will oversee enforcement of wildlife protection laws (i.e., Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act) and have authority on…federal lands in national parks, wildlife refuges, and Bureau of Land Management properties.

* Voted against 2005 legislation to ban horse slaughter.
* Current session: Co-sponsored bill to strengthen animal fighting penalties.
* Signed letter to increase funds for enforcement of animal welfare laws…
(Salazar wasn’t pushed by animal advocates.)

LISA JACKSON TO HEAD THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

Lisa Jackson led the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and was a leading animal advocate in the state… [She can help] prioritize use of alternatives to animals in toxicity testing, to ensure strong penalties for pollution from factory farms…

* She rejected attempts by NRA, Safari Club, and trophy hunting groups to initiate a black bear hunting season in New Jersey.
* Implemented program to solve bear conflicts with humane methods such as trash management and public education.

SOURCE: 12/8/08, Michael Markarian / Need Change at Interior, Not More of Same
FULL STORY: hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2008/12/interior.html

OBAMA PASSED ON ANIMAL-FRIENDLY CONGRESSMAN RAUL GRIJALVA (D-ARIZ)

The possibility of Grijalva as Interior Secretary was endorsed by environmentalists [and animal advocates] who’d admired his work as chairman of House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands…

* Grijalva is lead author with Congressman John Campbell (R-Calif.) of the Bear Protection Act, which would crack down on illegal poaching of bears…
* Scored 100% on Humane Scorecard since elected to Congress.
* Sided with animal protection on every measure relevant to Interior Department: Import of sport-hunted polar bear trophies, commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros, slaughter of buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, and bear baiting on federal lands.

President-elect Obama selected not-so-animal-friendly Ken Salazar instead of Raul Grijalva, to be the next Secretary of the Interior.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES + MORE READS:

Encourage Government To Improve the Lives of Animals

www.all-creatures.org/alert/alert-20081207.html

Animals Would Like President-Elect Barack Obama To Know…

kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_12.html

Ken Salazar a Disappointing Choice for Secretary of the Interior

www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2008/salazar-12-16-2008.html

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6. L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing

SOURCE: 12/16/08, Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Puppy Beating
READ FULL STORY: cbs2.com/local/Puppy.Beating.Charged.2.889181.html

A Los Angeles County assistant fire chief has been charged with beating a neighbor’s puppy so severely it had to be euthanized. Glynn Johnson was arrested at his home in Riverside County and the district attorney has filed felony animal cruelty charges against him. Johnson is accused of beating a 6-month-old shepherd mix with his fist and a 12-pound rock on Nov. 3. Investigators say Johnson told them he acted in self-defense and the dog wounded his wrist and thumb…

THANK OFFICIALS FOR ARREST & URGE MAXIMUM PENALTIES
SOURCE: Lindy Greene, lindygreene [at] roadrunner.com

Contact Riverside County District Attorney, Rod Pacheco and his Assistant, Chuck Hughes, to thank them for arresting and filing charges against Johnson and to demand that he be punished to the fullest extent accorded by law.

Rod Pacheco, Riverside County District Attorney
4075 Main St.; Riverside, CA 92501
ph: 951-955-5431 or 951-955-5400; fax: 951-955-5682
Maria Driver, D.A. Secretary: mwdriver [at] rivcoda.org
additional email: events [at] rivcoda.org

Chuck Hughes, Riverside County Assistant District Attorney
Western Division; 4075 Main St.; Riverside, CA 92501
ph: 951-955-5400 or 951-955-5431; fax: 951-358-5017

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

11/14/08: Puppy Fatally Beaten By Los Angeles Firefighter

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1776&seriesfirst=true

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7. Netherlands Ban Products Made Of Cape Fur Seals

During the 2008 hunt July 1 to Nov. 15, seal hunters may kill 6,000 adult males and 80,000 pups. www.oipa.org/hunting/alerts/namibia.html

SOURCE: 12/15/08, Ban on fur import from Cape Fur Seals
READ FULL STORY: www.dierennieuws.nl/nw/art/200812/nw71298.htm

The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries announced that as of July 1, 2009 a ban on import and trade of fur and other products of Cape Fur Seals will be in force… The Cape Fur Seal hunt takes place on the beaches of Namibia. Second to the Canadian seal hunt this is the biggest annual seal massacre on earth. Annually an average of 80,000 seals are culled and shot for their furs… www.bontvoordieren.nl

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

July 2008 DIGEST: Help End The Namibian Seal Slaughter

kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_07.html#anchor5

7/11/07: Namibia’s Shame – Massacre Of Nursing Seal Pups & Bulls

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1666&seriesfirst=true

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8. Prempro Maker, Wyeth, Pays For Fake Articles

SOURCE: 12/12/08, Drug Maker Said to Pay Ghostwriters for Journal Articles
READ FULL STORY: www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/business/13wyeth.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1229115622-yXi0T14dvE6Dtyxyi3tEtg

Wyeth, the pharmaceutical company, paid ghostwriters to produce medical journal articles favorable to its female hormone replacement therapy Prempro… One article was published…in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, more than a year after a federal study called the Women’s Health Initiative linked Wyeth’s Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progestin [from pregnant mares’ urine], to breast cancer. The May 2003 article said there was “no definitive evidence” that progestins cause breast cancer and that hormone users had a better chance of surviving cancer…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/PInPremarinStandsFor.pdf

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9. Report On Hallmark/Westland Downer Scandal

SOURCE: 12/9/08, Hallmark/Westland Might Not Be An Anomaly According To OIG
READ FULL STORY: www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=275451

Following the Hallmark/Westland debacle earlier this year, Ag Secretary Ed Schafer requested an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General… The OIG listed these three glaring problems:

1) FSIS cannot demonstrate that its verification of establishment oversight is adequate. 2) Untrained non-veterinarians have been allowed to perform ante-mortem inspection without formal training or direct supervision. 3) The Public Health Veterinarian assigned to the plant took shortcuts in his inspection duties — delegated responsibilities to Hallmark/Westland employees, a serious breach not discovered until well after the damage…

The audit included reviews of 10 “cull” slaughter plants and half of them failed to gain a passing grade… In most industries, a 50% failure rate easily qualifies as a ‘systemic’ problem… After the Hallmark video surfaced, Ag Secretary Schafer said he would ban the slaughter of downer cows without exception, a still delayed pledge…

Quote (author?) worth adding here: “I think Congressmen should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could identify their corporate sponsors.”

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

Aug-Oct 2008 UPDATES: Politics Trumps Mercy: Still No Downer Ban

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_aug-oct_2008.html#anchor11

7/14/08: No Downers. No Exceptions. NOW.

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1751&seriesfirst=true

Apr-June 2008 UPDATES: Downer News – Big Meat Backs Downer Ban + More…

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor16

FACT SHEETS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/DownedOnTheFarmPHOTOS.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/HortonHearsACow.pdf

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10. Eddie Lama’s Oasis Sanctuary Closes

SOURCE: 11/30/08, Farewell to a Beloved Sanctuary
READ FULL STORY: www.oasissanctuary.org/index.html

Many of you recall Eddie Lama, from Tribe of Heart’s film “The Witness.” The tough-talking New Yorker whose world revolves around animals opened Oasis Sanctuary a decade ago — as a “home to animals who otherwise had no other place to go. Our wonderful ‘D-List’ critters have included fighters, biters, ‘pee-ers ‘n poopers’ alongside the blind, the crippled, and the crazy,” Eddie writes in his bittersweet farewell.

THIS IS WHAT OASIS NEEDS NOW:

* Responsible individuals and like-minded organizations to adopt our cats and dogs (thankfully, the farm animals have all found permanent homes);
* Immediate donations to help us cover $30,000 in back taxes; and
* Continual financial support for sheltering and providing daily care for the unplaced animals.

For information on donations and adoptions to help Eddie and his magnificent critters, go to: www.oasissanctuary.org/index.html

============================

11. Michael Vick: Early Release & Back To NFL?

SOURCE: 11/25/08, Vick enters guilty plea, gets suspended sentence
READ FULL STORY: www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/11/25/vick_virginia_hearing.html

VICK MAY LEAVE PRISON EARLY & RETURN TO NFL

Vick pleaded guilty to a state dogfighting charge in a Virginia courtroom. Under a plea agreement, the Falcons quarterback received a 3-year suspended prison term and a $2,500 fine on a charge of attending, sponsoring and participating in dog fights. A charge of cruelty to animals with prejudice was dismissed. He also received 4 years’ probation… The [state] charges against Vick carried a maximum sentence of 10 years…

Vick is currently serving a 23-month federal sentence on felony charges related to dogfighting. He is suspended indefinitely by the NFL… Vick is scheduled to be released from federal prison July 20, 2009. With his state case completed, he is eligible to participate in the Federal Bureau of Prisons re-entry program. The program could include an early release and a stay at a halfway house for up to 6 months…

SOURCE: 11/21/08, Report: Vick put family pets in ring
READ FULL STORY HERE: www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/11/21/michael_vick_dogfighting.html?cxntnid=bn_2008-11-21_23_31_id617_e

VICK’S FAMILY ANIMALS FOUGHT IN THE RING TOO

Michael Vick put family pets in rings with pit bulls and thought it was funny watching the trained killers injure or kill the helpless dogs. In a 17-page report filed Aug. 28, 2008, by case agent James Knorr of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and released under the Freedom of Information Act, a person identified as confidential witness No. 1 said Vick placed pets in the ring against pit bulls owned by “Bad Newz Kennels” at least twice and watched as the pit bulls “caused major injuries…”

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

Jan-Mar 2008 UPDATES: The Dogs That Vick Hurt

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor26

Sept-Dec 2007 UPDATES: Vick’s Dogs…You Helped Save Their Lives

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2007.html

10/29/07: KC DIGEST – Ensure Vick’s Dogs Are Spared, As Promised

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_10.html#anchor9

8/28/07: Salvation For Vick’s Dogs?

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1676&seriesfirst=true

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If it’s dated by Dec. 31, it’s tax-deductible for 2008…
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Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Dec 24, 2008 12:08 AM
Subject: Part 2/ UPDATES: OCT-DEC 2008

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

PART 2: OCT – DEC 2008 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES
YEAR END WRAP UP – Victories * Setbacks * Progress For Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/

PART 2: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008

12. Hero’s Plan To Save Wild Horses Moves Forward
13. Until Export Is Banned, More Horses Killed
14. Rodeo “Horse Tripping” Outlawed In Phoenix
15. Houston: Biggest Dogfight Bust In U.S. History
16. Activists Vow To Overturn Navy’s Use Of Sonar
17. Oxford Univ. Lab To Use Thousands Of Animals
18. Prop 2 Passes For Calif. Farmed Animals
19. EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments
20. Ringling Bros. Big Fat Federal Lawsuit
21. Alaska Whales: 1 vs. Gov. Sarah Palin: 0

PART 1: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008
RESEND PART #1 TO ME: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net

1. Donna Karan Announces Fur-Free 2009 Lines
2. Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable
3. Cat Killing Boyfriend Walks Free
4. Records Show Big Industry Planned AETA All Along
5. Obama Picks: The Good & The Not So Good
6. L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing
7. Netherlands Ban Products Made Of Cape Fur Seals
8. Prempro Maker, Wyeth, Pays For Fake Articles
9. Report On Hallmark/Westland Downer Scandal
10. Eddie Lama’s Oasis Sanctuary Closes
11. Michael Vick: Early Release & Back To NFL?

============================

12. Hero’s Plan To Save Wild Horses Moves Forward

Wild horses gathered from the Fox & Lake Herd Management Area in near Empire, Nev., wait in a pen. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27738672/

SOURCE: 11/24/08, Madeleine Pickens
READ FULL STORY: madeleinepickens.com/

“I thank every one for their tremendous support. The number of responses has been simply overwhelming. It is very gratifying to know that there is strong support to not let this part of the American heritage become extinct. Be assured I am moving forward as quickly as possible with my plans for this beautiful Sanctuary and I will share with you the progress that I am making. Stay tuned, updates will be posted on my website — madeleinepickens.com/ — Thank you, Madeleine Pickens”

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

11/18/08: Update & Action – Doomed Wild Horses Have A Hero?

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2007.html#anchor16

7/10/08: BLM Wants To Kill Wild Horses

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1749&seriesfirst=true

============================

13. Until Export Is Banned, More Horses Killed

SOURCE: 11/24/08, More horses sent abroad for slaughter after ban
READ FULL STORY: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27934125/

…Last year, when state-imposed bans closed the last three U.S. horse slaughterhouses, a record 78,000 horses were exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics compiled by the Humane Society. That’s a 138% increase from 2006. Statistics show that 76,100 horses have been slaughtered in Canada and Mexico so far this year. But the actual figure is likely higher… Slaughter opponents got a hopeful sign from Congress when a proposed export-for-slaughter ban was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in late September. But the bill got hung up in the Agriculture Committee during the final days of the session and will have to be reintroduced next year…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

10/2/08: Call/Write To End Horse Slaughter For Good

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1764&seriesfirst=true

============================

14. Rodeo “Horse Tripping” Outlawed In Phoenix

SOURCE: 11/14/08, Phoenix ordinance makes horse-tripping illegal
READ FULL STORY: www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/11/14/20081114phx-horse1115.html

Phoenix City Council members approved an ordinance that makes roping or tripping equine animals for the purpose of entertainment a misdemeanor punishable by jail time or fines… Participants in horse-tripping events are awarded points for intentionally roping a galloping horse or donkey to the ground. Animal rights advocates compare the traditional charreada event to the underground games of dogfighting or cockfighting…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/TheMythOfTheCowboy.pdf

============================

15. Houston: Biggest Dogfight Bust In U.S. History

SOURCE: 11/14/08, Largest undercover dogfighting sting in U.S. history
READ FULL STORY HERE: www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/111408kvue_dogfighting_raid-cb.1b0f3f3a2.html

Sgt. Manning, of the DPS Criminal Intelligence Service, and another DPS investigator have spent the last 15 months infiltrating the seedy world of dogfighting in Houston. “It’s the largest undercover dogfighting operation in the country,” said Assistant Harris Co. D.A. Belinda Smith… Authorities expect to arrest 85 people in multiple counties on over 155 felony charges. The investigation, called Operation Dead Game, was a joint effort between DPS, the USDA and the Harris County District Attorney’s office…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/fatalfights.pdf

============================

16. Activists Vow To Overturn Navy’s Use Of Sonar

SOURCE: 11/13/08, U.S. Supreme Court OKs Navy use of sonar
READ FULL STORY: www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus13-2008nov13,0,3987528.story

Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the nation’s security outweighs the need to protect marine mammals from high-powered sonar during Navy training exercises, environmentalists said the fight was far from over. The court immediately lifted limits on the Navy exercises now being held 12 miles off the Southern California coast, in a victory for the outgoing Bush administration. But the decision doesn’t bind the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to follow the same policy…

Environmentalists…said studies have shown piercing underwater sounds cause whales to flee in panic or to dive too deeply. Whales have been found beached in Greece, the Canary Islands and the Bahamas after sonar was used, and necropsies showed signs of internal bleeding near the ears…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

Jan-Mar 2008 UPDATES: Judge To Bush Admin: You Can’t Exempt Navy In Sonar!

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor17

May-Jul 2006 UPDATES: Navy Sonar Drills Restricted Near Marine Mammal Habitat

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_may-july_2006.html#9

8/27/04: Whales – Casualties Of Navy Training

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1223&seriesfirst=true

============================

17. Oxford Univ. Lab To Use Thousands Of Animals

SOURCE: 11/11/08, Oxford University opens controversial animal research lab
READ FULL STORY: www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/nov/11/animal-research-oxford-university

A controversial animal research laboratory…officially opened today at Oxford University… Thousands of animals will eventually be housed in the new facility, which aims to bring the university’s disparate animal research projects under one roof. The centre will provide room for mice, ferrets, monkeys and other species, such as tadpoles… The centre is expected to be fully operational by the middle of next year…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/23/05: Don’t Let Oxford Torture More Primates

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1323&seriesfirst=true

7/15/04: Stop Oxford University’s Research Expansion

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1199&seriesfirst=true

============================

18. Prop 2 Passes For Calif. Farmed Animals

SOURCE: 11/5/08, Historic Victory for Farm Animals!
READ FULL STORY: action.farmsanctuary.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=8241.0&printer_friendly=1

FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE: The California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act passed in the largest agricultural state in the U.S. A ban on the most egregious cruelty — battery cages, veal crates, gestation crates — will be phased in. Clearly, “how animals become meals” has entered mainstream consciousness. Of equal importance: Despite the millions agribusiness lobbyists spent on overturning this initiative, it passed. The ballot initiative system, fueled by grassroots stamina, worked.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

JULY 2008 DIGEST: Help Proposition 2 Win Relief For Animals In Calif.

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_07.html#anchor3

Don’t Blow This Landmark Chance For Farmed Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1709&seriesfirst=true

FACT SHEETS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutPoultyEggIndustr.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutThePorkIndust.pdf

============================

19. EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments

SOURCE: 11/5/08, Protection of animals in scientific experiments
READ FULL STORY: europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1632&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The European Commission presented a proposal to strengthen protection of animals still used in scientific procedures… The new provisions will also contribute to minimizing as far as possible the number of animals used in experiments… The use of non-human primates is subject to restrictions, and the proposal also introduces a ban on the use of great apes — chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans — in scientific procedures. Only when survival of the species itself is at stake, or in the case of an unexpected outbreak of a life-threatening or debilitating disease in humans, can a Member State exceptionally be granted permission for their use…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

9/6/07: Urge Primate Testing Ban In Europe

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1679&seriesfirst=true

============================

20. Ringling Bros. Big Fat Federal Lawsuit

SOURCE: 10/24/08, CIRCUS BEASTS OF HURTIN’
READ FULL STORY HERE: www.nypost.com/seven/10242008/news/nationalnews/circus_beasts_of_hurtin_135048.htm

After 8 years of legal wrangling, Ringling Bros. heads to Washington federal court (10/27/08) to answer charges from animal-rights groups that it beats its Asian elephants. The ASPCA, three other pro-animal groups and a former Ringling employee have filed a suit charging that circus workers routinely hit the elephants with a bull hook – a club with a sharp, pointed hook — while training and disciplining them.

The suit, filed in June 2000, also contends that Ringling employees forcibly remove baby elephants from their mothers with ropes and chains before they are weaned. And it claims that elephants are kept chained for up to 100 hours while being moved in train cars. All these actions violate the 1973 Endangered Species Act, the suit says…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/RinglingBrosTheBigCon.pdf

============================

21. Alaska Whales: 1 vs. Gov. Sarah Palin: 0

SOURCE: 10/18/08, Alaska Whales Protected Over Palin’s Objections
READ FULL STORY: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/17/AR2008101701046.html

The Bush administration named the beluga whale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet an endangered species despite opposition to the move by Gov. Sarah Palin. By affording the whale protection under the Endangered Species Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will now embark on an ambitious research effort to determine why the species is on the decline… Subsistence hunting took a toll on the Cook Inlet beluga population, which numbered as many as 1,300 in the 1970s but now stands at 375.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

9/27/08: Palin’s Pro-Death Platform On Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1762&seriesfirst=true

============================

Please help Kinship Circle work for animals in the New Year!
* DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

* DONATE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
Kinship Circle / 7380 Kingsbury Blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63130

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. Donations are tax-deductible.
Public (501c3) Charity Status: 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi)

UNSUBSCRIBE:
* Select a Kinship Circle ALERT received in your mailbox
* Hit “FORWARD”
* Enter kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
* Type UNSUBSCRIBE in your subject line and hit send

SUBSCRIBE:
Kinship Circle Primary: subscribe [at] kinshipcircle.org
Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

————————-

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts environment environmental environmentalist environmentalism kinship circle brenda shoss bush george bush barack obama 2008 elections sarah palin wildlife conservation pet companion animal dog canine animal fighting dogfighting blood sports michael vick animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals vivisection animal experimentation animal research animal testing primates wyeth fraud Donna Karan fur fur free faux fur horses horse slaughter horse meat prada Bluebell pit bull SEAACA california Joseph Petcka cat feline norman sex and the city Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act aeta green scare green is the new red will potter civil liberties Tom Vilsack Ken Salazar Lisa Jackson Raul Grijalva Karley Glynn Johnson Netherlands seals seal hunt factory farming factory farms farmed animals Hallmark Westland Eddie Lama Oasis Sanctuary Madeleine Pickens blm ranchers rodeo phoenix houston texas navy sonar dolphins oxford prop 2 Ringling Bros. elephants esa endangered species act beluga whale alaska news in the news flickr photos

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST AS WRITTEN

11/29/08: Animals Would Like President-Elect Obama To Know…

ONLY YOU CAN BE THEIR VOICE:

1. Dogs Respectfully Demand A Rescued Presidential Pooch
2. Farmed Animals Hope For An Administration That Acts In Their Interest
3. Wild Animals Want An End To Lethal “Management”
4. What’s Your Big Idea For Change?

==========================

CONTACT INFO FOUND FOR OBAMA (DURING THE TRANSITION)

==========================

Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102; Chicago, IL 60680
Obama for America will only accept #10 envelopes.
All other mail will be returned to sender.

These Obama-related websites still have live comment forms. They are listed in order of relevance. SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO SOME…OR ALL:

CHANGE.GOV TRANSISTION TEAM / SHARE YOUR VISION:

change.gov/page/s/yourvision

CHANGE.GOV TRANSISTION TEAM / CONTACT FORM:

change.gov/page/content/contact/

Obama-Biden Transition Project: 202-540-3000

OBAMA FOR AMERICA CAMPAIGN / WEB MAIL FORM:

answercenter.barackobama.com/cgi-bin/barackobama.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

EMAIL BARACK OBAMA’S CAMPAIGN / WEB MAIL FORM:

congressorg.capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=11008941

CONTACT BARACK OBAMA.NET
Established to educate the public about Barack Obama; If you’d like to make a comment, we would love to hear from you: info [at] BarackObama.net

OBAMA, U.S. SENATOR FOR ILLINOIS / WEB EMAIL FORM:

obama.senate.gov/contact/index.php

***Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails from government, corporate, or institute websites may be incorrect.

==========================

1. Dogs Demand A Rescued Presidential Pooch

==========================

PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA SAID:

“With respect to the dog, this is a major issue. I think it’s generated more interest on our website than just about anything. We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”

SOURCE:

Ask Obama To Save A Dog’s Life, www.presidential-pooch-pardon.com/
David Meyer, Davidm [at] AdoptaPet.com
www.Adopt-a-Pet.com, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

CONTACT INFO / TAKE ACTION:

SEND IT YOURSELF: See all available contact info at top of this alert.
SEND BY WEB PETITION: www.presidential-pooch-pardon.com/

SAMPLE LETTER BY: www.presidential-pooch-pardon.com/

Kinship Circle did not write this sample letter.

Dear President-Elect Obama,

We thank you for your decision to add a dog to your family, and for considering rescue as an option. You’ve expressed concern that due to your daughter’s allergies, you may not be able to adopt from a shelter. In fact, animal shelters are full of “hypoallergenic” dogs who are perfect for the First Family. Please give a Presidential pardon to a shelter dog, and inspire millions of others to save a pet’s life by adopting!”

Sincerely, (Your name / address / city, state, zip)

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE STORY OF BABY:

During the campaign, then-Senator Obama promised his daughters they would get a dog after the election. This made lighthearted news after the President-elect mentioned it in his acceptance speech, but there is a tragic side to the story, due to a special 3-legged dog named “Baby” who found her way into Barack Obama’s arms when he was a newly elected Senator…

READ FULL STORY:

President Obama and the story of “Baby”

www.deathrowpets.net/PDFs/Obama_Baby.pdf

How a 3-legged dog inspired our next President

www.animalliberationfront.com/News/2008_11/RescueBabyBarack.htm

MORE REFERENCES & READS:

Send a signal: Adopt a mutt

www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20081112_Send_a_signal__Adopt_a_mutt.html

Animal shelters perk up over First Pooch candidates

tinyurl.com/689qsu

Obamas won’t find a ‘hypoallergenic’ dog

tinyurl.com/629dfu

VIDEO / Presidential-Pooch-Pardon.com

==========================

2. Farmed Animals Hope For Something Better

==========================

SOURCE:

Bring Change to the U.S. Department of Agriculture

www.farmsanctuary.org/get_involved/alert_secofag.html

CONTACT INFO / TAKE ACTION:

SEND IT YOURSELF: See all available contact info at top of this alert.
SEND BY WEB PETITION: secure2.convio.net/fsi/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=173

SAMPLE LETTER BY FARM SANCTUARY

Kinship Circle did not write this sample letter.

Dear President-Elect Obama,

The Obama Administration has promised change — something desperately needed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I write to urge you to appoint a Secretary of Agriculture who supports humane agricultural policies and will guide the Agency in a new direction, one that includes sustainable, organic farming and healthy, plant-based diets available to all Americans.

Millions of farm animals are annually subject to industrialized production and slaughter, yet few federal laws govern their treatment. For too long our food policies have been driven by harmful industrial animal agriculture and subsidies to wealthy meat and dairy interests. It is time for the USDA to focus on healthy, sustainable and compassionate systems of food production.

Please appoint a Secretary of Agriculture with a vision for healthy people, healthy animals and a healthy environment. The treatment of animals matters to Americans and it should matter to the USDA as well.

Sincerely, (Your name / address / city, state, zip)

MORE REFERENCES & READS:

Urge President-elect Obama to appoint an animal-friendly Secretary of Agriculture

community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=28939623

==========================

3. Wildlife Want An End To Lethal Management

==========================

SOURCE:

Brian Vincent, brian [at] bigwildlife.org, www.bigwildlife.org

CONTACT INFO / TAKE ACTION:

SEND IT YOURSELF: See all available contact info at top of this alert.

TALKING POINTS BY: Brian Vincent, brian [at] bigwildlife.org

Kinship Circle did not write this sample letter.

– Urge President-Elect Obama’s administration to end Wildlife Service’s aggressive and expansive lethal control of “carnivore” wildlife.

– Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services kills millions of animals, including thousands of native carnivores.

– USDA Wildlife Services employs a host of cruel — and largely ineffective, expensive, and unnecessary — methods to kill coyotes, bears, cougars, wolves, and other wildlife. Animals are shot, poisoned, gassed, trapped, snared, clubbed, pursued by hounds, helicopters, and planes, and lured to bait stations where they are gunned down.

– Dogs, cats and other animals are unintentionally injured or killed. 2007: Wildlife Services killed 2.4 million animals, including 121,565 Carnivores.

– Wildlife Services kills wild animals for such minor offenses as wandering onto private property, eating pet food, and digging in gardens. Thousands more are killed to mollify agribusiness, even though non-lethal measures, such as installation of proper fencing, strobes, and motion detector devices, are often effective in preventing conflicts.

– Carnivore numbers are also “culled” to boost “game” species for hunters.

– In addition, these animals are frequently targeted out of hysteria perpetuated by some government agencies, hunters, and development interests. Yet, it is usually irresponsible human behavior that leads to conflicts with wildlife. For more information visit: www.bigwildlife.org/

Always sign comments with your name / address / city, state, zip.

MORE REFERENCES & READS:

Advocating For Wild Animals

www.bigwildlife.org/TakeAction.php

==========================

4. What’s Your Big Idea For Change?

==========================

SOURCE:

Stephanie Ernst, mail [at] stephanieernst.com
www.change.org, animalrights.change.org

CONTACT INFO / TAKE ACTION:

SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS: www.change.org/ideas

President-Elect Obama says he wants to hear ideas from all Americans, so we’re taking him up on his offer. Here’s your chance to pose innovative solutions to the major problems we face and to get them heard. Submit your ideas for how to change America, and vote for your favorites. The top 10 ideas will be presented to the Obama administration on Inauguration Day…

SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS: www.change.org/ideas

Scroll down, on the right, to “Ideas by Cause.” There are only a few animal ideas currently… Here’s the direct link to the animal rights category: www.change.org/ideas/browse?category_id=25407

* VOTE for the animal-related ideas you would like to see presented
* POST NEW IDEAS that you have
* SEND LINKS to your animal rights-minded friends and ask them to vote as well.

**************************

WAYS YOU CAN HELP KEEP KINSHIP CIRCLE’S WORK ALIVE:

* DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

* DONATE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
Kinship Circle / 7380 Kingsbury Blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63130

* PLEDGE A MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION TO KINSHIP CIRCLE:
Donate online or by mail, each month, to help Kinship Circle meet its expenses.

**************************

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. Donations are tax-deductible.
Public (501c3) Charity Status: 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi)

UNSUBSCRIBE:
* Select a Kinship Circle ALERT received in your mailbox
* Hit “FORWARD”
* Enter kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
* Type UNSUBSCRIBE in your subject line and hit send

SUBSCRIBE:
Kinship Circle Primary: subscribe [at] kinshipcircle.org
Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

————————–

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare 2008 elections barack obama hsus hslf humane society humane society of the united states humane society legislative fund kinship circle farm sanctuary companion animal pet dog canine farming meat factory farming environment action alert flickr photos

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST AS WRITTEN

11/25/08: Due 11/28 – Save Gray Wolves From Bush Admin’s Kill Plan

FOR A FORMATTED LETTER (WORD DOC), EMAIL: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Easily modify letter. Copy/paste it into an email or print letter to fax or mail.

***COMMENTS DUE BY NOVEMBER 28, 2008***

====================

FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Sample Letter Follows

====================

Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Department of the Interior
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
ph: 202-208-3100
email: Secretary_of_the_Interior [at] ios.doi.gov, webteam [at] ios.doi.gov
web mail: www.interior.gov/contact.html

Public Comments Processing, Attn: RIN 1018-AW37
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222
Arlington, VA 22203
**WE DO NOT ACCEPT EMAILS OR FAXES**
web mail comment form:

www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064807a85b8

***Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails from government, corporate, or institute websites may be incorrect.

====================

SAMPLE LETTER — This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue.
Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending.

====================

RE: Docket FWS-R6-ES-2008-0008 / RIN 1018-AW37
Gray Wolves Belong on the Federal Endangered Species List

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to remove Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife is a last-ditch gift to logging, drilling and hunting industries.

This reckless bid permits Northern Rockies states to slaughter almost 1,000 gray wolves during the initial year alone. Please register my firm opposition to the Bush Administration’s irresponsible management of endangered wildlife. I implore the Interior Department to uphold rigorous federal protection for wolves.

The fate of gray wolves should not be handed over to the states. Wolf pups continue to succumb to disease and park biologists estimate a diminishing number of Yellowstone wolves this year. State-sanctioned killing would once again drive gray wolves to the verge of extinction.

Projected kill quotas reflect a lack of thought about repercussions. Idaho okays the slaughter of over 400 wolves in the first year. Wyoming’s recent agenda authorizes killing over half the wolves beyond national park borders.

Moreover, biologists claim at least 2,000-3,000 wolves are essential to recovery. Shortsighted federal recovery goals do not concur with scientific findings. In fact, last July a federal judge determined that the present plan is flawed. The rule change would make a bad plan even worse. In Wyoming, for example, the revised strategy calls for 88% of the state to be designated a predator zone.

Instead of chipping away at gray wolf restoration, the Fish and Wildlife Service must advocate an inclusive management plan for the lower-48 states. Please do not strip current safeguards for wolves, unless a revitalized national plan — in which all Northern Rockies states support survival over slaughter — is ready to put into practice.

Thank you,

====================

SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS

====================

Fend off the Bush Administration’s 11th Hour Attacks

www.nrdconline.org/campaign/save_yellowstone_wolves_112008

Bush Administration Takes Aim at Endangered Species

www.nrdcactionfund.org/campaigns/wildlife/save-endangered-gray-wolves.html

Docket: FWS-R6-ES-2008-0008
Designating the Northern Rocky Mountain Population of Gray Wolf as a
Distinct Population Segment and Removing This Distinct Population Segment
From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=09000064807a85b8

Search Federal Documents Accepting Comments Or Submissions

www.regulations.gov/search/index.jsp

*******************************

WAYS YOU CAN HELP KEEP KINSHIP CIRCLE’S WORK ALIVE:
* DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

* DONATE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
Kinship Circle / 7380 Kingsbury Blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63130

* PLEDGE A MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION TO KINSHIP CIRCLE:
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Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. Donations are tax-deductible.
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Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss wolf wolves hunting george bush politics gray wolves gray wolf fws usfws Fish and Wildlife Service Northern Rocky Mountain environment wildlife conservation oil drilling ranching logging flickr photos news in the news

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

11/7/08: Whale Wars – On Animal Planet – Don’t Miss It!

Only one group stands between a 750-ton whale-killing machine and its prey…and you know who that is:

PREMIERS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 9:00 PM, ET/PT
Check local listings for time in your area.
Info, photos + sneak peak: animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/

Animal Planet Follows the Crew of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to the Bottom of the World in the New TV Series, Whale Wars

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

During Sea Shepherd’s Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Migaloo in 2007/08, Animal Planet had a camera crew on board a campaign that saved nearly 500 whales, leaving the Japanese fleet with less then half their quota and costing them tens of millions of dollars. This new seven-part, hour-long weekly series follows the crew of the Sea Shepherd vessel, Steve Irwin as they use non-violent direct action techniques…in an effort to shut down the illegal Japanese whaling fleet and enforce international conservation law… READ MORE: www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-081002-1.html

Take Action To Save Whales

End Whale Bloodbath In Danish Faeroe Islands

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1773&seriesfirst=true

Act Now: Write To Whale-Killing Countries

www.seashepherd.org/whales/what-you-can-do.html

Stop The Whale Killers – Japan, Norway, Iceland

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1701&seriesfirst=true

Support Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

my.seashepherd.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=184

***Having known Capt. Paul Watson for some years now, I can attest to his fearlessness, his frank view of the war humans wage against animals…and his wicked humor. Sea Shepherd crew members are diverse and determined, and I’m honored to call many friends. Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle

Animal Planet steps beyond its typical “pet” programming with its debut of Whale Wars. Watch it, and let Animal Planet know you want more hard-hitting shows like this: extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations

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KINSHIP CIRCLE
Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
Kingship Circle / Public (501c3) Charity Status: 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi)

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SUBSCRIBE:
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Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss whale wars animal planet whales whaling whale slaughter whale meat Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Sea Shepherd Paul Watson tv tv shows flickr photos protest civil disobedience whale hunting hunting

KINSHIP CIRCLE, A 501c3 NONPROFIT, NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT:

www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/

11/3/08: End Whale Bloodbath In Danish Faeroe Islands
FOR A FORMATTED LETTER (WORD DOC), EMAIL: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Easily modify letter. Copy/paste it into an email or print letter to fax or mail.

Every year between 2,000 and 3,500 pilot whales are corralled by men in boats and forced into bays in the Faeroe Islands, a North Sea Danish Protectorate mid-way between the Shetland Islands and Iceland.

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FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Email Block + Sample Letter Follow

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GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS / DENMARK
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark
Christiansborg, Prins Jorgens Gard 11
1218 Copenhagen K, DENMARK
ph: +45 33 92 33 00; fax: +45 33 11 16 65
email: stm [at] stm.dk

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS / FAEROE ISLANDS
Kaj Leo Johannsen, Prime Minister of the Faroes
Prime Minister’s Office, Logmansskrivstovan, Tinganes
P.O. Box 64
FO- 110 Torshavn, FAROES
ph: +298 351010; fax: +298 351015
email: info [at] tinganes.fo

Members of Staff, Prime Minister of the Faroes
mah [at] tinganes.fo, anh [at] tinganes.fo, palln [at] tinganes.fo, sjr [at] tinganes.fo, peturp [at] tinganes.fo, kristiannas [at] tinganes.fo, jeb [at] tinganes.fo

Jacob Vestergaard, Minister of Fisheries
Ministry of Fisheries
Heykavegur 6A / P.O. Box 347
FO-110 Torshavn, FAROE ISLANDS
ph: +298) 353030; fax: (+298) 353035
email: fisk [at] fisk.fo

The High Commissioner of the Faroe Islands
Amtmansbrekkan 6, FO-110 Torshavn
P.O. Box 12, FAROE ISLANDS
ph: +298 351200; email: riomfr [at] fo.stm.dk

FAEROESE PARLIAMENT
Office of the Logting
Tinghusvegur 1-3, Postboks 208, 110 Torshavn
email: logting [at] logting.fo

Jorgen Niclasen, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tinganes, FO-110 Torshavn
ph: +298 306100; fax: +298 351015
email: mfa [at] mfa.fo

FAROE ISLANDS TOURISM
Faroe Islands Tourist Board
Samvit – Faroe Islands Enterprise
Bryggjubakki 12
P.O. Box 118, FO-110 Torshavn, FAROE ISLANDS
email: tourist [at] tourist.fo

Denmark Office
Samvit – Faroe Islands Enterprise
Strandgade 91, 4. sal
DK 1402 Kobenhavn K
email: annette [at] tourist.fo

Additional Faroe Islands Tourist Offices
infoey-f [at] post.olivant.fo, infoey-r [at] post.olivant.fo, info [at] klaksvik.fo, sandinfo [at] post.olivant.fo, info [at] vistinolsoy.fo, info [at] visittorshavn.fo, touristinfo [at] post.olivant.fo, sout-inf [at] post.olivant.fo, infovag [at] post.olivant.fo, vagar [at] vagar.fo, kunningarskivan [at] post.olivant.fo

REPRESENTATIONS OF THE FAROES ABROAD
The Mission of the Faroes to the European Union
Rue d’Arlon 69-71
B-1040 Bruxelles, Belgium
ph: +32 (0) 22 800 456; fax: +32 (0) 22 330 966
email: mfa [at] mfa.fo

Representation of the Faroes in London
55 Sloane Street / London SW1X 9SR
ph: 44(0)20 7333 0227; fax: 44(0)20 7333 670

Representation of the Faroes in Copenhagen
Strandgade 91, 4. Sal
DK-1401 Kobenhavn K, DENMARK
ph: +45 32 83 37 70; fax: +45 32 83 37 75
email: mfa [at] mfa.fo

DANISH EMBASSIES
Embassy of Denmark in the United States
3200 Whitehaven St. N.W. / Washington, D.C. 20008
ph: +1-202-234-4300; fax: +1-202-328-1470
email: wasamb [at] um.dk

FOR DENMARK EMBASSY LISTINGS AROUND THE WORLD, TRY:

www.allembassies.com/danish_embassies.htm

www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Denmark/Denmark6.html

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EMAIL BLOCK: All emails found for this alert

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TO: stm [at] stm.dk, info [at] tinganes.fo, mah [at] tinganes.fo, anh [at] tinganes.fo, palln [at] tinganes.fo, sjr [at] tinganes.fo, peturp [at] tinganes.fo, kristiannas [at] tinganes.fo, jeb [at] tinganes.fo, fisk [at] fisk.fo, riomfr [at] fo.stm.dk, logting [at] logting.fo, mfa [at] mfa.fo, tourist [at] tourist.fo, annette [at] tourist.fo, infoey-f [at] post.olivant.fo, infoey-r [at] post.olivant.fo, info [at] klaksvik.fo, sandinfo [at] post.olivant.fo, info [at] vistinolsoy.fo, info [at] visittorshavn.fo, touristinfo [at] post.olivant.fo, sout-inf [at] post.olivant.fo, infovag [at] post.olivant.fo, vagar [at] vagar.fo, kunningarskivan [at] post.olivant.fo, info [at] goscandinavia.com, wasamb [at] um.dk

***Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails from government, corporate, or institute websites may be incorrect.

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SAMPLE LETTER — This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue.
Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending.

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Honorable Officials of Denmark and Faeroe Islands:

Citizens worldwide are sickened by the annual vision of whales marooned in blood-red waters. Islanders stone, gouge, spear, hack and bludgeon some 2,000 to 3,500 long- and short-finned pilot whales under the bizarre notion that God created these animals for the Faeroese to butcher alive.

During a pilot whale “grind” boats chase whales into shallow bays, where the disoriented creatures are easily gored with metal gaffs. Waters turn a brilliant red by the time killers sink a 6-inch blade past blubber and flesh to sever a whale’s spinal cord.

Finally, vital blood vessels are cut, leaving a bay littered with mangled whales. Unbelievably, whale drives are festive community events. Young children even take part in the massacre of terrified animals.

I cannot support tourism in the Danish Faeroe Islands until whale kills are permanently terminated. I urge officials to legally shield wildlife from abuse, including the senseless slaughter of whales for sport.

Moreover, the population count for North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales is unknown. The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats classifies them as “strictly protected.” Each time the Faeroese kill even 100 whales, entire pods and family groups are erased. This weakens the their gene pool and harms ecosystems in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.

The whale drive is illegal in other European states. Residents of the Faeroe Islands don’t use the toxin-contaminated flesh left behind. Tradition, entertainment and sport never justify outright torture. For these reasons, I respectfully ask you to outlaw whale drives in the Danish Faeroe Islands.

Thank you,

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS

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End Whale & Dolphin Slaughter in the Faeroe Islands (Denmark)

www.thepetitionsite.com/1/end-whale-dolphin-slaughter-in-the-faroe-islands?page=134

Defending Whales / Danish Faeroe Islands

www.seashepherd.org/whales/danish-faeroe-islands.html

*****************************

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
Kingship Circle / Public (501c3) Charity Status: 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi)

UNSUBSCRIBE:
* Select a Kinship Circle ALERT received in your mailbox
* Hit “FORWARD”
* Enter kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
* Type UNSUBSCRIBE in your subject line and hit send

SUBSCRIBE:
Kinship Circle Primary: subscribe [at] kinshipcircle.org
Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

———————

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss whales whaling wildlife conservation Denmark Faeroe Islands hunting whale slaughter flickr photos whale meat